Reading Beneath the Lines
by Kurozakura
Summary: A story about Neji and Sakura that begins during the timeskip and extends into the second arc. A lot can happen in 2.5 years: promotion exams, new jutsu, new outfits. The most recent chapters coincide with the current manga storyline. NejiSaku
1. 1: Left Behind

Disclaimer: Sadly enough, I don't own any of these characters, nor will I ever profit off of them.

SPOILERS: It's best to be well into the manga chapters after the time skip to avoid being spoiled rotten.

(AN) I started writing this story as a way to entertain myself during the painful anime fillers. In no way do I claim that these things actually happened during the time skip, nor do I claim any hint of a relationship between Neji and Sakura in the actual manga. That's what fan fiction is for! (/AN)

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Sakura sat down with a sigh and gazed blankly at the walls of the hospital staff lounge. Part of her training with the Hokage included working at the hospital observing medical staff and treating low-level injuries. Other aspects of her new training regimen included exercises to improve chakra control and utilize it in new ways. Since the Godaime was usually tied up in her office, they would often have a brief lesson in the morning before Sakura would be released to practice on her own.

For the past six months, since Naruto and Sasuke left, Sakura became obsessive about training. She knew it was only a bandage to keep herself from thinking about her losses, but she saw nothing wrong with improvement. She woke early every day to start rounds at the hospital and came home late with only enough energy to shower and eat before collapsing into bed. If she was lucky, she would pass out before the voices in her head could begin their haunt.

Stepping into the locker room, Sakura changed out of her white medic-nin uniform and into her usual red dress. She tied on her kunai holster and her new, larger belt pouch before taking off the white hairnet that held her pink locks in a tight bun. She hated the thing, but it was better than those white hoods other medic-nins wore. Untying the bun, Sakura walked down the hallway and out the front door into the bright summer sunlight where Ino was waiting.

"Forehead-girl! Let's go, I'm starving!" Ino shouted with a wave.

"Hai, Ino-pig!" Sakura responded cheerily.

A month after Sasuke left, Ino had suddenly appeared at Sakura's doorstep one morning and asked if Sakura wanted to get breakfast and some coffee. Caught off guard, Sakura accepted. On their way to the corner diner, Ino chatted about inconsequential things while Sakura studied her rival out of the corner of her eye. The blonde seemed genuine in her offer of friendship, and Sakura found that once again she was drawn to Ino's charisma.

Months later, Ino admitted that she checked up on Sakura out of concern. Ino took Sasuke's betrayal somewhat personally - that he would rather live with a scaley S-rank criminal than in her loving arms. No man was handsome enough to redeem himself of such a sin. In the absence of Sasuke, Ino saw no reason to hate Sakura, and after a month of solitude and wallowing, Sakura welcomed her friend's presence.

As they walked towards their favorite tea house for lunch, Sakura found herself unable to pass by the Ichiraku without stooping to peer beneath the noren. It was a daily habit though she knew the only orange-clad loudmouth she saw would be her imagination. Ino watched this ritual silently before trying to distract Sakura from her memories.

"The past couple weeks have been absolutely terrible! Shikamaru was sent to the Hidden Mist Village to observe and report on the Chuunin Exam, and Chouji and I have to pick up his slack on missions!" Ino huffed dramatically.

"Ino-chan, when does Shikamaru ever pull his weight?" Sakura asked with a grin.

Ino nodded thoughtfully before agreeing with Sakura's observation.

"C'mon, Ino-pig, we need to hurry so I'm not late for training with Kakashi-sensei this afternoon." Even though Team 7 had unofficially broken up, Kakashi would still spend a few days a month helping Sakura train when he was not gone on missions. The village was still rebuilding and tried to hide the lack of high level ninjas by overworking the current Chuunin and Jounin.

"Sakura-chan, when is Kakashi-sensei ever on time?" Ino asked, mimicking Sakura's voice.

Laughing, the girls stepped into the teahouse.


	2. 2: Friendship after Failure

Chapter 2

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One week later, Sakura found herself in the same location - having lunch with Ino while being informed of all the latest gossip. This time, Sakura had already heard most of the news.

"The only one from Konoha to pass the Chuunin exam this year was Hyuuga Neji!" Ino chattered excitedly.

"That's hardly a surprise," Sakura said. "It's a wonder it took him this long, being a genius and all."

"I feel bad for his teammates," Ino continued. "I hear both were carried back to Konoha on stretchers."

Sakura nodded sadly – she had been on duty when both were admitted into the hospital. "Lee re-injured his wounds from last year while attempting to perform his Secondary Lotus during the second test. It was an unfortunate accident, but he separated the muscle from the bone in his bad leg. Even though he could finish the second test, Gai-sensei refused to let him continue."

"I'm surprised Gai-sensei would be so stern with Lee," Ino commented.

"I think after last year when he let Lee fight Gaara, Gai-sensei became more sensible to the dangers of feeling immortal," Sakura said. "Lee would not have been able to use any of his high-level techniques which would have made him a sitting duck."

Glancing out the window, Sakura noticed a slumped figure approaching the teahouse. "I feel the most sympathy for Tenten," she said, nodding at the window.

"Temari again, huh? That's rough," Ino said shaking her head.

"Same outcome, and this time Temari became a Chuunin. That added some salt to the wound," Sakura said. "Gaara also became a Chuunin, despite throwing his match."

"That's what Shikimaru told us!" Ino said in disbelief. "He said Gaara had the guy surrounded in sand and all he had to do was close his fist and the guy would have been mush, but instead, he let the guy go and told the moderator that he had won the match by all intents and purposes and that he was finished."

Both girls fell silent as Tenten opened the door and walked into the teahouse.

"Hey Tenten! Come join us!" Ino shouted, waving to the other kunoichi.

"Ah, I was just going to grab something to go," Tenten said softly.

"Well at least come sit with us while you wait. I have a funny story to tell!" Ino continued.

Sakura peered at Ino curiously while Tenten placed her order at the counter. "I didn't know you're friends with Tenten," she said.

"I'm not, but I can't just let her mope around and eat by herself, can I?" Ino replied.

Tenten finished paying the woman at the counter and came over to Sakura and Ino's table. She pulled out one of the chairs and sat down awkwardly.

Before she could say anything, Ino began talking in a conspiratorial voice. "Ok, so this all started the other night when one of the bitches broke out of the Inuzuka kennels. Of course she was in heat, and what did she do? She ran straight over to the house, broke down the door, and started chasing Kiba!"

The waitress brought over Tenten's order sometime around when the male dogs also broke out of the kennel and started challenging Kiba, who was still fleeing the amours of the bitch, but none of the girls noticed between gasping laughs.

Later, as the three girls stood outside the teashop, Tenten looked much more like her usual cheerful self. Ino looked satisfied as she waved goodbye and headed back to her family's flower shop. Tenten turned to Sakura and asked, "Where are you headed now, Sakura-san?"

"I was going to train with Kakashi-sensei, but as usual he was sent on an unexpected mission this morning," Sakura replied.

"You should come with me, then," Tenten said enthusiastically. "My team is training, too, and with Lee still in a brace it will be good to have a medic on hand."

"But you just came back from the Chuunin Exam! Shouldn't you rest more?" Sakura blurted before realizing she just undid all of Ino's hard work.

"Yes, well, there's no time to lose to prepare for the next exam. I have a lot of work to do," Tenten said as her face fell. "Besides, there is no time for rest in this springtime of youth," she added as she rolled her eyes.

Wincing inside, Sakura felt the need to make up for ruining Tenten's good mood. "Alright I'll come. Who am I to fight the springtime of youth?" Sakura said as she struck a pose and tried her damnest to get her teeth to sparkle.

Tenten managed a giggle and said, "Don't even bother. I've tried for years and never managed even a glint."


	3. 3: Unexpected Strength

Chapter 3:

Neji sat with his eyes closed trying to meditate amidst the chatter of Gai-sensei and Lee. Any idiot can relax in silence, but to enter a trance while surrounded by resounding cheers of youthfulness requires training. He opened his eyes when he heard Tenten arrive and was surprised to see another kunoichi with her.

"Sorry for being late! But looked what I picked up on my way," she said, pointing at Haruno Sakura. "A medic-nin!"

"Sakura-san!" Lee shouted. "You look as beautiful as a youthful flower in spring!"

"Ah, Sakura-san," Gai said. "I see that my latest triumph over Kakashi has proven my superiority such that even his students flock to my green magnificence."

"Hn," said Neji. He vaguely knew the girl as the relatively weak teammate of Naruto and that Uchiha. Her performance at Neji's first Chuunin Exam was hardly memorable, and it was easy to lose sight of her standing in the shadow of such outstanding teammates.

The pink haired girl flashed a wide smile at the greetings, but something about her seemed different to Neji.

They all spread out around the clearing to start stretching and warming up. Tenten and Gai were leaning over something on the ground, and Sakura had begun to stare intently at her hands. Neji activated his Byakugan and saw that she was channeling chakra through her hands. As Neji tried to get a better look at what she was doing, Lee came over to once again announce his eternal challenge.

After the fight with Naruto, Neji began to see Lee's obsession with beating him in a different light. No longer was it merely a futile dream. A dropout had beaten a genius – anything was possible. Realizing this, Neji swore to himself and his father to work harder.

When Neji heard the last words left by his father, it was like his world evaporated beneath his feet. All he had known was bitterness and hatred and resentment. These emotions had fueled his life and his drive to become powerful. They were his reason for living, and suddenly they were gone. In his final words, his father had opened his cage.

It took Neji six months to admit to himself that he had been wrong in his convictions about fate and destiny, and another six months to reassemble his thoughts.

Now, when he saw Lee standing before him with his eyes aflame, Neji was reminded of Naruto challenging him with his fist outstretched. However despite understanding Lee's motivation better now, Neji still did not like to lose and certainly did not like to be taunted.

As Neji turned his shoulder and gave Lee a "Hn," he noticed Sakura from the corner of his eye. He could tell from her posture that she was reflecting inwards, and that the memories brought sadness. Just as she turned away from the training teammates, Tenten shouted a warning and an explosion of sharp objects hurtled through the clearing.

"I am so sorry!" Tenten exclaimed, running across the grass from where she and Gai were practicing. "I was trying a new scroll but it got out of control! Oh Lee I'm sorry!"

Neji had easily repelled the weapons with his Hakkesho Kaiten, but Lee was not able to move fast enough in his brace.

"No, Tenten, it was my fault for not getting out of the way," Lee said stubbornly. "I will do 500 laps to make up for my slowness!"

"This isn't bad at all," Sakura said reassuringly to the distraught Tenten as she walked over to Lee. The girl gingerly pulled out a shuriken and a few kunai before using Shosen Jutsu to heal Lee's wounds. The job was complete in minutes. Straightening her clothes, Sakura walked to a nearby tree and sat down to watch Tenten and Lee, who had already forgotten her presence, fight over the blame.

Neji walked silently to where he could see the pink haired girl's profile. The change, he decided, was in her composure. No longer did she wear her superficial feelings on her sleeve. Neji knew a mask when he saw one, and this girl was hiding something. He wasn't surprised given the circumstances of her team. He was surprised she wasn't slumped and resigned, but straight-backed and resigned. That backbone must have been a requisite for Kakashi's team.

"I am impressed you have learned healing techniques so quickly," he said quietly. It was the truth, he had heard that she was training with the Hokage, but had not bothered to think about it much further.

Startled, Sakura jumped to her feet before noticing Neji standing next to her. He watched her emotions flit from surprise to embarrassment. She was indeed more composed now, but he had been watching and analyzing people for years. He was torn between annoyed and amused when she began to show signs of nervousness. Many people showed nervousness in front of his silver eyes, but for once he did not find it ego-satisfying.

"Ah, it's not much. Small cuts are the easiest thing to heal," she replied, avoiding his gaze.

"Team 7 was a team full of surprises," Neji mused.

Her eyes clouded as she looked inward again. He was right in assuming her pensiveness was due to her former teammates. Rather than beginning to cry, however, she shook her head and refocused on her surroundings. He could tell she was uncomfortable with the silence and trying to think of something to say.

"Congratulations on becoming a Chuunin," the girl said sincerely. "You must be proud of yourself."

"Hn," Neji replied. Another pause and she began to fidget with the hem of her dress. "It shouldn't have taken as long as it did," he said half to himself.

"Long?" Sakura prompted.

"They called me a genius and then made me stay in the academy until I was 12. Then Gai-sensei refused to recommend us for the exam until we had been together for over a year." A bit of the old bitterness crept into his voice.

Sakura looked thoughtful. "Why didn't they let you graduate early? Kakashi-sensei was 6 when he became a Chuunin, and you're surely as talented as he was."

Neji found himself unexpectedly pleased with this girl's off-handed complement. "After the Uchiha massacre, many of the village's elders believed that Itachi was so unstable because he was put under too much stress at too early an age. He was an ANBU squad leader at 13."

Sakura nodded as she tried to imagine the genin she graduated with as ANBU members, let alone captains. "So no one is allowed to skip through the ranks anymore."

"Hn," Neji replied. Once again, the conversation dwindled, and Neji couldn't understand why people found silence unbearable. Now the girl was toying with a blade of grass and looking around the clearing as if for inspiration.

"Umm, Hyuuga-san, I have a question," Sakura began, fumbling to break the silence. "Tsunade-shishou has been teaching me to use chakra with my taijutsu. I don't see how this differs from your Juken style."

Neji frowned. Most people who inquired about Hyuuga techniques wound up dead. He could tell from her posture that she was not trying to be manipulative or sneaky, though. In fact, she looked relieved to have found something to talk about. "You'll have to show me what you mean," he told her.

Sakura stood up and walked over to a small tree with a target painted on its trunk. "First, I concentrate my chakra into my fist," Sakura said, demonstrating her words. Neji activated his Byakugan and could see the chakra flowing quickly into her hand.

"And then I release it very precisely at the moment of impact..." She turned and half-heartedly slammed her fist in to the trunk of the tree. Neji saw the chakra in her hand disappear almost instantaneously. The ground shook for a moment before the tree splintered in half and fell with a thud. Lee and Tenten looked up from their argument in amazement, and Gai-sensei had his jaw hanging on his chest.

Sakura was almost embarrassed by the commotion she was making, but she saw hearts forming in Lee's eyes and instead focused herself for some chakra-aided dodging.

"I...see... Sakura-san..." Neji said, searching for words. He hadn't expected this girl to be so strong. "I think the difference for us is the way the chakra is expelled. Yours is very quick and very powerful, whereas Juken uses less chakra and is directly aimed at a person's chakra system."

Gai regained his composure and came over to the fallen tree. "Exactly, Neji." he said. "Sakura would be unable to affect a person's chakra system without being able to see the flows. Likewise, Juken is unable to affect something physically, like knocking down a tree. It's like the difference between a sledgehammer and a needle."

Again, everyone stared at the tree, and then stared at Sakura. "Umm.. well.. thank you for inviting me today, Tenten. I should be going," she said nervously as she edged away from the tree. "See you later!" she said as she turned and fled from the silent stares. What was she thinking?! Asking Neji about Hyuuga secrets and knocking down trees? All she was trying to do was make nice conversation!

"Baka, baka, baka," she chanted to herself as she ran home through the forest.


	4. 4: Regroup

Chapter 4:

(AN) Sorry these chapters are so short, but I promise there will be many. (/AN)

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The next morning, Sakura had a meeting with the Godaime.

"Here are a few more scrolls to go over," the Hokage said as she rummaged through the mess on her desk. "Not everything medics do involves chakra and ninjutsu. This is basic herb lore for Fire Country. Eventually, you will need to be an expert on all plants in all countries."

"All… plants?" Sakura stammered.

"Yes," the Hokage continued. "You must be able to identify any poison and know how to remove and treat it quickly and under any circumstance.

"Hai, Tsunade-shishou," Sakura said glumly.

As she walked out of the Hokage's office, she was surprised to see Tenten waiting for her.

"I hope I didn't cause any problems yesterday," Sakura began, blushing at the memory of her deforestation.

"Not at all!" Tenten said with a smile. "In fact, we have a proposition for you."

"Proposition?" Sakura asked.

"We want you to train with our team for the next Chuunin Exam!" Tenten said.

"Me? You want me?" Sakura said, blinking in surprise.

"Yes! We need a three-man team for the exam, and Neji is already a Chuunin. Since you don't have a team…" Tenten stopped awkwardly. "I mean, you will need to find partners to take the exam anyway…"

"I think that's a great idea," said the Godaime, walking out of her office. "I know it's my fault for being so busy, but Sakura, you have been spending too much time on your own."

"Hai, Tsunade-shishou," Sakura said obediently.

"I will speak to Kakashi about it immediately," the Godaime said as she walked back into her office and closed the door.

"Then it's settled! Meet us at our training site after you get done with the hospital! Ja ne!" Tenten called as she ran down the hall.

Sakura slowly plodded towards the hospital as she thought about her new teammates. Was this really the end of Team 7? No, Sakura thought furiously, this is only temporary. We need to work together for the exam, but after that it will be me, Naruto, and Kakashi-sensei again. Even in her head, she couldn't bear to include Sasuke in that thought.


	5. 5: A Spark of Interest

Chapter 5

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Sakura wiped the sweat from her forehead and once again began forming the seals for Gokyaku no Jutsu, a technique that Sasuke had mastered while he was still young. It was especially draining for the young genin because she had to pause occasionally to heal the burns around her face from failed attempts.

Team Gai was off on a mission, and Sakura had declined their invitation to accompany them. Tenten had a good point – that Tenten, Lee, and Sakura needed to learn to work together – but Sakura still saw missions as something she shared with Team 7. She knew it was childish, but she needed a few indulgences in her life.

"Katon, Gokyaku no Jutsu!" she cried, bringing her fingers to her mouth and exhaling. Rather than forming a roaring blaze that could roast any enemy within 5 meters, she wound up with a small fireball that singed her fingers and very nearly caught her hair on fire.

"Damnit!" she cursed, sucking on her fingers.

"You need to maintain an even flow of chakra as you release it and give it velocity away from your body," said a deep voice above her.

Sakura glanced up to see a pair of silver eyes peering down at her from the branches. Looking closer, she could barely see the veins surrounding his eyes in the early evening light. "I thought you all had a mission today," Sakura said accusingly. She was embarrassed to be having such a hard time learning a low level jutsu like Gokyaku.

"We split up sometime around noon and agreed to meet later tonight," Neji replied. "Try again, but this time focus your chakra in front of your fingers, not on them."

Sakura blushed and tried to frantically come up with an excuse to leave. The last thing she wanted was to singe her eyebrows in front of Konoha's finest Chuunin. "Ah, well see, I'm actually running out of stamina. I've been here for a while…"

Neji just raised an eyebrow and smirked. Damnit, she thought, he can see exactly how much chakra I have left.

Sakura turned around slowly and began forming the seals. Aim in front of my fingers, she told herself. "Katon, Gokyaku no Jutsu!"

This time, she produced a thin wisp of fire, but after a moment she wavered and the fire near her fingers flared before disappearing.

Concentrating on healing her burned hand, Sakura tried to hide her embarrassment from the genius watching from above.

Finally risking a glance towards her spectator, she realized he had hopped down and was now peering at her with his head cocked to the side. "Stupid, I know," she said sheepishly.

Instead of sneering at her as she expected, Neji walked towards her and grabbed her newly healed hand. He turned it palm up, and then placed his other hand palm down a few inches above. "Concentrate the chakra into your hand like normal," he commanded. "Good, now instead of releasing it as you would when striking something, allow it to flow from your hand to my hand."

Sakura furrowed her brow and stared at her palm. She let the chakra trickle from her palm similar to what she did to walk on water or up a tree.

Neji nodded as he watched her chakra flow with his silver eyes. "Now try to push my hand away."

Sakura concentrated on increasing the pressure coming from her palm without letting it all release at once and remove Neji's hand from his body. He raised his hand higher above hers, and she strained to keep her flows steady enough to cross the distance without dissipating. Sweat began beading on her wide forehead and trickled into her eyes. Finally, seemingly after hours, Sakura sank to her knees exhausted and out of chakra. She peered up at Neji, who was still holding her right hand. His other hand was a foot above hers.

He stared at her hard as though he was trying to figure out a puzzle before releasing her hand and folding his arms in front of his chest. She was suddenly aware of how close they had been standing. "Next time you try that Katon, do the same thing you did now, but horizontally from your mouth."

With that, the Hyuuga was gone, and Sakura dragged herself to her feet for the long walk home. She was completely out of chakra, so she would have to travel the good old fashioned way.

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Part of Neji felt guilty for leaving the girl collapsed on the forest floor, but his mind was a flurry of thoughts and images that threatened his composure. Here was a previously non-remarkable girl with chakra control to rival himself. It took him months as a child to be able to extend and maintain a flow of chakra a foot away.

Many ninjutsu techniques utilize controlled flows of chakra, but very few require sustained chakra control. Even the fireball technique she was attempting would normally last five seconds, whereas the whole exercise he performed with her had lasted nearly five minutes, which was literally blowing Neji's mind. And he knew that she would have gone longer had he not caught her at the end of her training session.

Did she achieve such chakra control through hard work? Was she born with this skill, but never knew how to use it effectively? Is it her destiny to wield such strength? Strangely, as he sped home along the tree branches, Neji couldn't stop thinking about the feel of her chakra enveloping his hands.


	6. 6: Reevaluation

Chapter 6

(AN) Thank you very much for the reviews. I never realized how much feedback means to an author until I was the one writing!

The title for this fanfic is Reading Beneath the Lines because I am trying to fit my story in between what is published in the manga without contradicting anything. And of course, a ninja must learn to see underneath the underneath. (/AN)

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It was a week later before Sakura could take the time from her work at the hospital to train with Team Gai during regular hours. When she arrived at the training ground, Neji and Tenten were sparring as Lee and Gai looked on. As Sakura sat down beside a whooping, hollering Lee, she realized the sparring was really more of Tenten practicing her throws and Neji dodging and spinning between the projectiles.

"Sakura of springtime, I am glad you could join us today," Gai beamed. "We will begin to train in earnest for the next Chuunin exam."

Sakura nodded at the enthusiastic teacher. "I requested more time off from the hospital, so I will dedicate myself to training with you all," she replied.

"Good, good," Gai nodded. "Neji has promised to help us train even though he won't be testing this time. Today, we will rotate sparring partners, so you will start with Lee."

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Neji hadn't even broken a sweat when he finished his match against Tenten. Not a single of her weapons managed to break through his defense, but neither of them had expected them to. They had been teammates long enough to realize her style of fighting was weakest against a defense like Neji's. Strangely, she never seemed to resent her ineffectiveness the way Lee would dwell on his need to prove himself. If anything, she seemed proud that she had helped him figure out Hakkesho Kaiten.

The two teammates walked over to where Sakura and Lee were sparring. Right away, Neji could tell that Lee was not fighting with his usual overzealousness. His speed was a quarter of what he was capable of, and from the annoyed look on Sakura's face, she knew it too.

"Lee-san!" the pink haired girl said in an exasperated voice. "This is pointless if you don't try your best!"

"I swore to protect you with my life!" Lee said for the tenth time that day.

"Lee," Neji called to the green clad figure. "You're saying that you need to prove yourself to a genius like Uchiha or a hard worker like Naruto, but a kunoichi trained by the Hokage is obviously a lesser goal?"

Lee stared at Sakura a moment as he thought over Neji's words. Sakura was in turn staring at Neji.

Neji decided for one last poke, "You need to prove that Gai-sensei is as good of a teacher as Kakashi-sensei and Hokage-sama."

"Gai-sensei is the best!" Lee declared as his eyes burst into flames.

"N-Neji-san... I think that's enough," Sakura said as she took a few steps backwards. She probably wasn't used to being on the receiving end of Lee's burning enthusiasm.

Before she could gather herself, Lee charged. Neji knew Sakura would never be able to defend at this speed and felt a stab of guilt for bringing it down upon her. She threw a handful of shiruken, but Lee was long gone before they reached their target. Neji could barely follow the bobbed head as he flickered to the right, to the left, then darted in for a side kick to her stomach.

Neji was already in motion as the girl was launched backwards with an audible gasp. He caught her beneath the arms as her body crashed into his and he skidded gracefully to a halt. Her breath came in spasms, but as her emerald eyes met Neji's, she spared enough energy for a glare.

Walking back to where Tenten was standing, Neji was surprised to see the pink haired girl stand up to face Lee.

"Sakura-san, forgive me," Lee said sadly. "But I must prove to the world that Gai-sensei is the best!"

Again Lee charged, but this time, Sakura began a series of seals. Realizing what she was planning, Neji activated his Byakugan. Sure enough, she was concentrating chakra in her lungs, and as Lee blurred into range, she released her Gokyaku no Jutsu. Neji was mildly surprised at the ferocity of her fireball, but Lee easily avoided the small inferno and continued his advance. The hesitation was enough, though, and Sakura managed to jump backwards and dodge Lee's attack.

She immediately began forming seals again, this time a bit faster, and Neji could see that it was the same technique. "She won't beat him with that," Tenten said softly. Neji nodded his agreement.

The pink haired kunoichi released her Katon, and again Lee dodged the stream of fire, which appeared thinner this time. Instead of releasing the technique, she shifted the blaze to the left and forced Lee to halt his attack and come around to Sakura's right side.

She followed him to the right and tracked him into the air as he tried to jump above the technique. To Neji's surprise, she spread the flames out into a wide arc almost like a fan and threw two kunai through the fiery screen.

Lee was concentrating on the fireball and didn't see the kunai until it was too late. He dodged one knife mid-air, and took the other one in his forearm. He barely caught his landing as Sakura quickly extinguished the flames and rushed over to tend to his wound.

"I don't think I've ever seen Gokyaku no Jutsu move like that," Tenten commented. Neji, with his mouth hanging slightly open, didn't mention that this girl was setting her face on fire only a week ago.

Sakura had finished healing Lee's arm and was blatantly not watching Lee and Gai embrace in a tearful hug. As the two figures in spandex separated, Lee said, "Sakura-san, I should have known a rose of such beauty would have thorns to discourage the weak."

"Uh oh, we should save her from Lee's most terrifying technique," Tenten whispered to Neji as the hearts began to form in Lee's eyes.

"Hn," Neji said as he walked over to Sakura and placed himself between the girl and the beautiful beast. "Our turn to spar. I won't go easy on you, either." He crossed his arms with a smirk.

"I thought you were smarter than to turn your back on his eyes," Tenten murmured as she passed Neji on her way to speak with Lee. The dark haired girl took out a kunai and popped one of the hearts about to float into Neji's head.

Sakura turned excited eyes towards Neji. "It worked! Did you see it? I didn't burn myself!"

"Hn," Neji replied as he walked back towards where he had originally sparred with Tenten. Sakura jogged to catch up, and from the corner of his eye he could see her scrutinizing him.

"Thanks for helping me the other day," she said earnestly. "After you showed me how to propel my chakra, it all suddenly seemed so easy."

Neji arched an eyebrow at her. Easy? Manipulating her fireball to defend against Lee and using it as a screen to hide her kunai were sophisticated applications of a technique she had learned only a week ago.

"Setting the chakra on fire is pretty easy, my problem was moving the chakra away from my body so I didn't set myself on fire, too," she babbled into the silence. "And making the fireball thinner helped me control it better."

"Alright, let's begin," Neji said. He couldn't afford to let himself think about this girl and her abilities any longer. Wasn't she just a talentless kunoichi chasing after that Uchiha?

"Ok," she brought out her kunai in a defensive stance and waited for Neji to make the first move.

"Byakugan," he said, and the girl licked her lips nervously.

Neji's first attack was simply a test of her taijutsu skills. He was disappointed to discover that she was only mediocre. That super strength wouldn't do her much good if she never made contact. Why was she not using chakra to aid her movements?

"You need to work on your speed," he said. "Concentrate on your feet."

Sakura wilted a moment at the criticism before narrowing her eyes. A small cloud of dust puffed around her feet, and then she launched her own attack.

Neji allowed himself a small smile. She definitely was a fast learner. She was nowhere near Lee's speeds, but she was definitely more entertaining to fight now.

"Something funny, Neji-san?" she growled.

"You keep surprising me, Sakura-san," he replied. "Time for me to get serious."

He could see her confidence falter as he resumed his Juuken stance. This time, he came at her with two of his fingers pointed, aiming at her tenketsu.

Her eyes widened as she dodged the first attack at her arm. "Neji!" she squeaked. She dodged twice more before he managed to block the tenketsu in her left thigh. She went down on one knee with wide eyes as Neji came in for a second blow. He actually didn't intend on striking her, but before he could pull his punch, her left hand shot out and deflected his hand with a blast of chakra.

Neji stumbled from the unexpected parry and then turned to stare at the girl. To his further astonishment, she had gathered chakra in her hand and was using Shosen Jutsu to heal her leg. She stood up and tested her weight tentatively.

"Looks like I'll have to guard my arms extra carefully," she said, looking up. "What… what's the matter, Neji-san? Are you angry?" she asked worriedly.

Neji was still staring at her in amazement. "Did you… deflect my hand…?" he began. "With chakra?"

"I knew I wouldn't be able to block you in time so I used my chakra to cover the extra distance. I thought it would be OK since it's just like that exercise you taught me…" she trailed off, concerned she had done something wrong.

Neji glanced over to where Gai was watching Tenten and Lee spar. From here, it looked like Tenten was using Lee as moving target practice while Lee tried to outrun her attacks. "Come with me," he said walking deeper into the forest.

He glanced over his shoulder and saw the girl start to follow him slowly. She hesitated on the edge of the forest before running to catch up. Neji didn't say anything until they reached a smaller clearing just out of sight of the training ground.

"Sit down a moment," Neji told the girl.

"Neji-san, I'm sorry if I did something to make you mad. Honestly, I didn't..."

"Hush," he told her softly. She seemed surprised, but complied, settling herself cross legged on the soft grass.

"First, I will be honest and say that I had always thought of you as a weak ninja. You were unimpressive at the Chuunin Exam last year, and you never showed any initiative other than chasing that Uchiha," he said, squatting in front of her. His elbows rested on his thighs as he peered at this surprising kunoichi in front of him.

Sakura opened her mouth as if to reply, but Neji placed a finger on her lips and continued.

"I said hush. Now that I've told you what I used to think of you, I will tell you that you have surprised me by showing that you are indeed a talented ninja and an intelligent person. Frankly, I can't understand how no one noticed your potential earlier."

Her face had turned bright red at the unexpected praise, and she gaped openly at him now. He could feel his own face threatening to heat up, and he quickly withdrew his finger from her soft lips. Clearing his throat, he continued, "I'm telling you all this so that my next statement doesn't seem random and meaningless. You have intrigued me, and I want to see how strong you can become."

She snapped her mouth shut with a click. "What do you mean, Neji-san?"

Neji paused a moment before answering. He usually never spoke with anyone about what was on his mind unless he was absolutely convinced he was correct. "I have thought a long time about fate and destiny and how much control we have over our lives. We are born with the ability to reach a certain intelligence, a certain physical fitness, a certain aptitude with ninjutsu. Lee will never mold chakra. Naruto will never be smart."

Sakura giggled at this observation and nodded in agreement to his last statement.

"But you, was it your destiny to fade into obscurity and never let your talent grow? Are we fighting your destiny now? Or is it fate that brought you to Hokage-sama and now to me?" he continued.

"To you, Neji-san?" she asked, confusion in her jade eyes.

In response, he took her hand like he did the last time they were together. "Do the same thing we did before. Push against my hand," he instructed, holding his other hand above hers.

"Good, now try to expel chakra from your wrist as well.

She gazed at his silver eyes framed with veins before staring down at her upturned hand. "I'm not sure… I've never collected chakra there before," she said hesitantly.

"It's easier if you know where to aim," he told her. "Right here," he said softly, touching the tenketsu on the inside of her wrist. Her green eyes met his briefly before she closed them, leaving Neji to stare at her face.

After a moment, the blue glow of chakra extended from her palm up to her wrist. "Ahah!" she exclaimed. "Found it!" She opened her eyes with a big smile and Neji quickly averted his eyes, suddenly aware that he had been staring.

"You know, Neji-san, you're not at all like I had thought, either," she told him. "I thought you were arrogant and selfish and hateful when I saw you fight Hinata-san."

Neji considered the fight with Hinata the lowest point in his life and unconsciously clenched his jaw at the memory. He looked back at the girl with surprise when she removed her hand from his and placed it on his arm.

"But now I see how kind you are, Neji-san."

Before Neji could reply, Tenten appeared in the tree above them. "There you are! Time for the last sparring match."

"Hai," Sakura replied as she stood up and brushed the leaves from her clothes before walking back to the clearing.

Tenten gave Neji an inquisitive look as she fell in beside him, which Neji chose to ignore with a "Hn." How much had she heard? He fought the blush rising to his cheeks as he walked over towards Lee.

----------------

After her practice match with Tenten, Sakura was thoroughly drained. She squinted her eyes against the glare of the setting sun and plodded down the street towards her house. The downside of tiring herself out is that it reminded her of a certain blond ninja who seemed to never run out of energy.

Lost in thought, she didn't notice the shadow looming in front of her until she ran into an unforgiving wall on the sidewalk. Flailing her arms wildly, she fell on her butt and looked up at a tall silhouette standing with his arms crossed. Using one hand to shade her eyes, she realized it was Neji smirking down at her.

"You should pay more attention to your surroundings," he admonished in a gruff voice, offering her a hand.

"Hai, sorry," she replied, blushing as she allowed herself to be pulled to her feet.

"Meet me tomorrow at the training ground," he told her.

"What time? I thought Gai-sensei told us to take tomorrow off," Sakura said, confused.

"Any time, I will be there all day," he said, and then disappeared in a puff.


	7. 7: An Agreement

Chapter 7:

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The next day, Sakura had an extra grueling session with the Godaime all morning. After memorizing over a hundred different types of poison, Tsunade was teaching her how to remove them from the body using chakra. It was delicate work that required extreme precision so as not to disturb the rest of the internal systems. Practicing on rats had been exhausting. Sakura couldn't imagine detoxifying a human being.

She was halfway to the hospital before she remembered Neji's request from the previous day. It was more like an order, she told herself, rolling her eyes. Grabbing a quick lunch to go, she headed towards Team Gai's training area.

As she approached the clearing, Sakura could see a figure sitting in front of one of the sparring posts. Landing lightly in front of the seated ninja, she waited to be acknowledged. After several seconds, she shrugged and sat down on the other side of the post and began rummaging through her lunch. Glancing over her shoulder, Neji still hadn't moved from his position.

Sakura took a stick of dumplings and waved the still steaming food under the Hyuuga's nose. Still no response. Sakura bit one of the dango off and chewed noisily in his ear. Finally, an eyebrow twitch! Encouraged by the response, no matter how small, she looked around for her bottle of tea to slurp.

When she turned back towards the meditating figure, she was shocked to see he was gone. Had that been a shadow clone the whole time?

"This is a lot of food for one girl," Neji said from in front of her. Sakura swiveled her head around to see the Hyuuga poking through her lunch.

"You said you'd be here all day, so I thought you might get hungry," Sakura said, leaning back to finish her dumplings. "Help yourself, I got plenty."

Neji hesitated, glancing her way before taking out a wrapped plate of onigiri. He settled against the post as well, and they ate in silence.

"Hakkesho Kaiten does not require Byakugan," Neji said suddenly. Sakura paused with the dumpling skewer sticking out of her mouth. Kaiten?

"You only need to be able to sense your own tenketsu, not see those of other people," he continued.

Sense her own tenketsu? She could feel the memory of Neji's fingers brushing her wrist and suddenly gasped out loud.

"You mean you've been teaching me Kaiten this whole time?" she blurted in surprise.

"No, I will not teach you Kaiten," Neji said sharply. "I'm just helping you channel your chakra. When Hiashi-sama asks me if I have ever passed a Hyuuga secret technique to someone outside the family, I will honestly answer him 'No.'"

"Then what have…," Sakura began as her train of thought derailed.

"Kaiten was originally only passed down through the head family. To everyone's surprise, I figured it out on my own," Neji said with a hint of smugness. "Who's to say someone else couldn't likewise figure it out?"

Sakura suddenly realized what he was getting at. To think that SHE would be capable of such a powerful technique! "But I'm no genius. I could never teach myself something like that," she said, reality and insecurity creeping back into her mind.

"I will help you channel your chakra, but you must do the rest. I am sure you can do this, Sakura."

Sakura was surprised at the intensity of his voice. "How could I repay you? I doubt you need any of the skills I could teach," she asked.

"Actually, I admit that I have been thinking of just that. I would ask something of you in return."

What could he possible ask of her, Sakura wondered.

"I would like you to teach Hinata-sama your healing techniques and perhaps help her become involved at the hospital," Neji said, his silver eyes surprisingly gentle.

"Hinata?" Sakura repeated in surprise. Fiddling with her bottle of tea, Sakura tried to picture the shy, violet haired girl in medic garb. "She would be perfect…"

Neji nodded. "The Hyuuga clan has always been focused on taijutsu, and so she has never had the opportunity to learn other skills."

"Forgive me if this is too personal, but I thought you hated the head family. You tried to kill Hinata!" Sakura said, unable to restrain her bluntness.

"I have learned a lot in the past year… about my family and about myself," Neji said softly.

Sakura could relate. A lot had changed in only a year.

Leaning his head back on the wooden post, Neji continued, "I had always hated the world because I have this juin. It wasn't until my match with Naruto that I could admit that it was selfish self-pity. I never thought about what others were feeling because surely they were not suffering as much as me."

He rubbed his hitai-ate and hesitated. "Promise never to repeat what I am about to tell you."

Sakura was stunned by how much the stoic Chuunin was telling her. Thinking back to the few times she had seen him during the Chuunin Exam last summer, she recalled that he did like to talk a lot. Fighting a rising giggle, she nodded her agreement. "Promise."

Neji leaned around the sparring post so he could study her face with his silver eyes. After a long moment, he turned back to the clouds and Sakura barely stopped herself from sighing with relief. It felt like he had flipped open the cover of her mind and turned to the chapter labeled "Secrets."

"Three months ago, just before you began training with us, I was delivering a message to Hanabi-sama in the main house. On my way out, someone began screaming down the hallway. Naturally, I rushed to see what happened, and I found Hinata-sama writhing on the floor of her bedroom clutching her head."

Neji took a deep breath before continuing. "I rolled her onto her back to check for wounds, and I noticed a mark on her forehead. It began fading immediately, but there was no doubt. It was a juin."

Sakura wasn't entirely clear on the inner dynamics of the Hyuuga clan, but Neji's pontification at the Chuunin Exam told her that the juin was indeed a curse and only placed on branch family members. The head family held an exalted position with many allies and many enemies. "Who would do such a thing? I thought only the head family knew that technique."

"She tried to use the Juin Jutsu on herself," Neji said quietly.

Sakura could only stare. To the Hyuuga clan, that must be like committing suicide.

"Obviously, it did not work. I suppose you can only use the technique on others. Regardless, Hinata-sama was crying incoherently at that point, and it took nearly an hour for her to calm down."

Sakura didn't know Hinata well, but her heart bled for the poor girl. Who knew she was hiding such pain?

"I stayed with Hinata-sama for the rest of the evening while she recovered mentally. I wanted to know – no, I NEEDED to know why she would do such a thing. All my life I sought escape from my prison, and here Hinata-sama was trying to lock herself in. Ironic, ne?"

"What was she trying to run from?" Sakura asked.

"From the pressure of being the Hyuuga heiress. From the shame of disappointing her father. She didn't mention this, but she has steadily become more and more depressed since the beginning of the year. I think without Naruto, she lost her determination and drive and succumbed to her insecurities."

Sakura was surprised that Naruto could have such a positive affect on anyone. All she ever gained was a headache. "And so now you want me to help Hinata learn to be a medic."

Neji nodded. "She is too kind and gentle to be a field ninja. She is better suited to helping people in the village."

It was Sakura's turn to stare hard at Neji. Sakura didn't know much about Hinata's abilities other than what she saw during the Chuunin Exam, and that pretty much was just the use of her Byakugan which Sakura barely understood anyway.

"Kakashi-sensei said you can see people's chakra systems," Sakura said slowly, "But I'm not sure how that would work with healing. Would you mind coming to the hospital with me?"

"Now?" Neji asked.

"Why not? I'll have a better idea of how to approach Hinata without blowing your cover. I'm assuming you don't want me to come right out and tell her that you asked me to help her?" Sakura began cleaning up the remnants of their lunch before standing up with a groan. She was sore from the day before.

"C'mon," she said, offering her hand to Neji. "This won't take long." She realized how silly it was to offer help to the ninja sitting before her, but he took her hand before she could pull it back.

"Ok, let's go then," he said as he stood up and gave her a tiny smile.

"He has a nice smile," said a voice in Sakura's head. Since Naruto and Sasuke left, Inner Sakura had gone into seclusion. Now, she came storming out of the recesses of Sakura's mind with a vengeance.

"No one has a better smile than Sasuke-kun!" Inner Sakura thundered.

"And when did Sasuke ever smile at you?" the small voice asked before fleeing the rage of Inner Sakura.

"Everything OK?" Neji's voice shook her out of her mental argument.

"Hai, let's go."


	8. 8: Diagnostics

Chapter 8:

(AN) Thanks again for the reviews!

I also have to agree that despite my general inability to watch the anime fillers (they make me cry inside), I did enjoy the curry of life episodes. Poor Neji, it's a good thing Sakura doesn't like spicy food either! (/AN)

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Neji couldn't stop himself from scowling as he walked into the Konoha hospital. He hated hospitals.

The receptionist looked up with a smile, "Haruno-san, here to make your rounds?"

"I just wanted to check on a few patients," Sakura replied.

"Well let me know if you need anything," the receptionist said as she turned back to her paperwork.

"This way, Neji-san," Sakura said, striding down one of the hallways.

He followed the girl into what must have been the waiting room and stood by the desk patiently as Sakura checked the list of patients waiting to be seen. Then they were walking into a small examination room with a young boy sitting on the table. Sakura greeted the boy and wrote down all of his information on her clipboard. She gathered chakra in her hand and held it above the boy's left arm, which he was holding gingerly.

"Neji-san, tell me what you can see with your Byakugan," Sakura said without opening her eyes.

Neji did as he was told, "There seems to be some sort of injury about two inches below his elbow. His chakra there weakens considerably.

Sakura nodded, and the chakra around her hand changed slightly. Tiny tendrils of chakra flowed into the boy's arm, and his chakra seemed to flare before growing stronger. After several minutes, his arm looked completely normal, and Sakura sat back looking pleased with herself.

"The nurse will be in to finish up with you," Sakura told the boy.

The boy smiled back with a cheeky grin as Neji followed Sakura out of the room.

"Could you see the fracture in his arm?" Sakura asked as they walked down the hallway.

"No, just that something was wrong and interfering with his chakra system," Neji told her. Sakura looked thoughtful as they walked up a flight of stairs.

Their next patient was an elderly man with white hair in disarray. He perked up when Sakura entered the room, and Neji realized how much her presence really brought light into this dingy hospital.

After exchanging some small talk, Sakura turned to Neji again. "Please just take a quick look, Neji-san."

Neji obliged, but before he could tell her what he saw, she was saying her goodbyes to the old man.

"I've missed you, Sakura-chan. The other doctors aren't nearly as pretty," the old man said with a toothless grin.

"I am training for the Chuunin Exam, ojii-san, but I will try to visit you again soon," Sakura told him.

"If I was sixty years younger, I'd give you a run for your money, boy," the old man said, turning towards Neji. "Take care of this girl. She's a rare one."

"Ojii-san!" Sakura said with a laugh as she ushered Neji out of the room. Once the door closed, her smile faded and tears crept into her eyes. "So, what did you see, Neji-san?"

"That man is dying," Neji said quietly.

Sakura just nodded. "What did it look like to you?"

"His entire chakra system was very faint, and did not flow smoothly. There were blockages in his lungs and in his heart, and small abnormalities throughout his body. There was a large anomaly at the base of his skull, too. What's wrong with him?"

"He has cancer, and we can barely keep it from eating him alive. Until now, we've managed to reverse the worst tumors, but even Tsunade-shishou cannot heal him completely. The chakra at the base of his brain is a technique Tsunade-shishou uses to cut off the pain. Without it, he would be in agony."

The sadness in her face stirred something in Neji that he was not used to. It was similar to how he felt after he found Hinata sobbing on her floor.

"Find solace in that you have extended his life this far, and that his last days will be free of pain," Neji told her gently. "What more could you offer?"

Sakura smiled gratefully and hastily swiped her hand across her eyes. Neji wondered at what a mentally and physically exhausting profession this must be.

After a few more patients, Neji found himself thankfully back out in the warm autumn afternoon.

"Shall we discuss Hinata over some tea?" Sakura suggested.

Part of Neji told him that it was time to get back to training, but he rarely socialized outside of his life as a ninja, and he found he was enjoying this girl's company.

Sakura seemed to have a place in mind, so Neji just followed silently.

"Neji-san, which season is your favorite?" the girl asked suddenly.

"What kind of question is that?" Neji said, flustered at the unexpected question and reverting back to his old gruffness.

The girl fell silent and Neji realized he had probably hurt her feelings. Ninja or not, girls were delicate things, it seemed.

"I suppose autumn is my favorite," he said in a softer tone. "The air is nice after summer's stifling heat, and I like the way the leaves change color."

"I would have thought you were a winter person," Sakura told him, her smile saying that she was glad he had spoken up.

"Why is that?" Neji asked.

"Because you always seemed so cold and distant. Like snow on a mountain top," she said.

"Do I still seem that way?" he asked, wondering if he wanted to be a winter person or not.

"Iie, I think you've changed. You don't scowl and stomp around as much now. I like you more this way," she said.

Neji tried to hide his surprise and changed the subject. "Sakura-san, you must be a spring person," he told her. He must be getting soft to let a girl shake his composure with a few words.

She laughed, "Is it that obvious?"

The corners of Neji's mouth tugged upwards.

"Ah, here we are," she said, opening the door to a small tea house.

------------------------

After placing their order with the waitress, Sakura got down to business.

"I've never really seen Hinata's abilities other than at the Chuunin Exam," she began. "How is her chakra control?"

"Honestly? Terrible for a Hyuuga, good compared to most other shinobi," Neji said without a hint of a smirk.

"And you're good for a Hyuuga?" Sakura teased.

"I'm excellent for a Hyuuga," Neji fired back, but there was no heat to his words. He really has changed, Sakura thought to herself. He no longer wears that permanent sneer that drew his brows down and made him look ten years older than he was.

"Would she have been able to see the things you saw today?"

Neji nodded, "Easily."

"I think Hinata will naturally diagnose patients well, but I will have to see if she can learn Shosen Jutsu and how well she can manipulate it," she told the Hyuuga. "At the very least, the hospital always needs more support staff to help keep the place running."

"Thank you, Sakura-san," Neji said, and suddenly Sakura was pulled back to the night Sasuke left Konoha. They had the same arrogant posture that must come with being a genius, the same deep voice that dripped of confidence, and eyes that saw under her skin and into her soul.

But Sasuke-kun never looked at you this way, a small voice whispered in her head.

Without taking his silver eyes from hers, Neji reached out and drew her right hand to the middle of the table. Sakura wondered briefly at the gentleness of his touch, and how she had always envisioned Sasuke holding her hand like that.

"And now for my part of the bargain," he said softly, turning her small hand around in his so her palm faced up. "I will help you find your tenketsu."


	9. 9: Girl Fight

Chapter 9

(AN) Every time I type the word "Kaiten" I think of conveyor belt sushi restaurants ( called "kaiten zushi" in Japanese). They are quite possibly my favorite type of restaurant in the world. Just thinking about it is making me hungry ::peko peko::

Keep an eye out for a chapter that takes place in a sushi bar! (/AN)

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Neji walked down from the stands to where Gai was giving last minute encouragement to Tenten. A short distance away, Kakashi was conversing with Sakura.

Neji looked over his shoulder at Lee who had followed him from their seats. He had never pitied anyone other than himself before, but he was beginning to realize how cruel fate could be to others as well.

Lee had been knocked out of the Chuunin Exam in the quarter final matches. After an impressive display of Taijutsu, the little green beast had been caught with a genjutsu that rendered him helpless. While his opponent sat down in a far corner, the audience watched while Lee exhausted himself fighting off unknown numbers of enemies or beasts or whatever he was seeing in his head. Finally, Gai signaled to the mediator that he was forfeiting the match for Lee. The genjutsu could have gone on indefinitely, and it was obvious that Lee would not be able to break out of it.

Neji glanced to where Kakashi slumped over the stadium railing next to his only remaining student. Sakura, on the other hand, had masterfully dispelled the same ninja's genjutsu in the semifinals. She had countered the technique with two of her own genjutsu, and when the Mist ninja dispelled the first technique but still found himself locked in who knows what kind of horror, he promptly fainted. Frankly, it was brilliant.

Sakura walked over to where Gai was finishing his pep-talk, which Tenten was ignoring as she secured all her blades and scrolls to her belt.

"Tenten?" Sakura asked tentatively.

"Sakura!" Tenten said with a smile. "I've always wanted to go all out against you."

Sakura returned the smile. "No hard feelings no matter what happens then?"

"Never!" said Tenten. "This is what we've been training for. Let's give them a show they'll remember!"

"No holding back or I'll run myself onto your kunai," Sakura scolded.

The girls hugged, and Neji was left wondering if he could be as good natured towards the person he would be fighting all out in a few minutes. Women were strange creatures.

The Sand nin down in the arena called for the two kunoichi, and the crowd went wild. Neji glanced around and saw a disproportionate number of men in the audience. He supposed there had never been an all-female final before in the history of Chuunin exams.

Gai went over to where Kakashi stood and began bragging about how his team would become Chuunin before Kakashi's team. Neji noticed a slight flicker, but it took his crowing sensei another minute before he realized he was now talking to a straw dummy.

Neji made a mental note before focusing his attention on the two small figures down in the center of the stadium. Lee remained strangely silent with no catcalls about youth and spring and the usual flower business. Both boys were torn about which teammate to cheer for.

The two girls took up their stances, and the moderator shouted for them to begin. As usual, Sakura charged Tenten, trying to close the distance and take away Tenten's advantage. And like every other time the two girls had sparred, Tenten immediately jumped away and began hurling weapons. Neji wondered how this would differ from any other practice session.

Tenten alternated her weapons and the speed at which she threw so that Sakura couldn't anticipate her attacks. Sakura used her strength to close the distance and approach Tenten from different directions.

Suddenly, Tenten turned and faced Sakura with a long naginata summoned from one of her scrolls. Sakura was running too fast to stop completely, but she managed to dodge the first three strikes and snap the shaft of the naginata with a quick chop. Tenten took one last swipe with the broken haft of her weapon before throwing a smoke bomb and beginning the cat and mouse chase once again.

At one point, it appeared that Sakura had trapped Tenten in some sort of genjutsu, but the weapons master seemed to have planned for that. Neji noticed she kept at least one kunai in her hands at all times, and now she plunged just the tip of it into her leg. Before Sakura could reach her opponent for the final blow, Tenten had broken the genjutsu and counterattacked with a handful of shuriken.

For a short while, the girls disappeared into the small copse of trees on the south side of the arena. Several explosions could be heard, and smoke from exploding tags drifted from the leaves. Here and there, the canopies of trees could be seen falling or flames of fire licked through the gaps in the foliage, and the audience grew restless with curiosity.

Neji, however, activated his bloodline at once and watched the girls exchange attacks and counterattacks, traps and counter-traps amidst the trees. Neither seemed to have an advantage.

Finally, Sakura landed a glancing blow and Tenten came sailing out into the open. Neji knew it was only a light tap because she was still able to catch her landing. Sakura emerged immediately, and Neji could see blood running down her leg.

Tenten had only managed to connect with two shuriken and a kunai, but the kunai had lodged deep in Sakura's thigh. When Tenten disappeared into the trees again, Sakura took the opportunity to remove the kunai and begin healing herself.

"She shouldn't let Tenten rest like this," Lee commented from beside Neji.

"Hn," Neji said as he nodded in agreement. He could see Tenten sprinting around furiously in the shadows.

Suddenly, Tenten jumped from the copse with a scroll draped across her arm. Sakura only had a split second to begin dodging the hail of various sharp and spiked objects. She jumped and twisted to her left and managed to skid to a halt without taking another hit when Tenten triggered a trap she must have rigged in the trees during Sakura's break.

Two barrages of projectiles came flying out of the trees just as Tenten landed and unleashed another of her own scroll attacks. Sakura had nowhere to dodge, and Neji sighed. He only had a moment to ask himself who he was really rooting for when Sakura did what he had been hoping to see for months.

The pink haired kunoichi dug her feet into the ground and began spinning into Hakkeshou Kaiten. Neji held his breath – she had not completed the technique before the exam began. Weapons ricocheted from the blurred kunoichi and buried themselves in the ground surrounding her.

When the spin finished, there was silence in the stadium. All of the Konoha ninjas watching surely knew that technique, and nearly all of the other villages were familiar with the Hyuuga clan.

Tenten stared in disbelief as the worst of her nightmares came true. Yet another opponent with an absolute defense. But then she looked closer.

From his perch by the sideline, Neji could see Sakura pulling a wakizashi from where it had pierced her calf. She immediately began healing herself, but Tenten didn't give her a chance.

"Yes! Yes! Now Tenten!" cheered Lee.

Neji was shocked to see Tenten charge towards the other kunoichi and engage in Taijutsu. Ordinarily, Sakura could have easily beaten Tenten in close combat, but she seemed weak from the wound in her leg and could not move quickly. Tenten ducked beneath a punch and launched Sakura high into the air with a sidekick to the chin not unlike something Neji had seen Lee use often.

Neji chanced a glance at the bob-haired boy next to him and saw Lee clutching the railing in excitement.

Tenten whipped out a different scroll and this time a dozen kunai flew upwards toward the airborn Sakura. Neji silently applauded Tenten for taking advantage of Sakura's weakness so quickly - she could not fully protect her lower body using Kaiten. Of course Tenten, who had helped Neji himself develop the technique, would notice the lack of a crater from Sakura's spin.

Despite being dazed from the kick, Sakura managed to rotate her body to face the incoming attack. Neji saw her reach into her pouch and throw, but only a few of the kunai were deflected. She must be out of weapons, he thought. He forced himself to watch what he knew was the end of the match.

Instead of crouching into a guard stance with head and torso protected, she held her arms straight in front of her. He could see chakra pulse from her hands as the swarm of kunai passed around her, and then she began falling back towards the ground. She barely caught herself with her arms, falling into a roll before tumbling to a stop in the dirt.

Tenten was standing with her mouth slightly open, as if unsure of what to do next.

Her eyes met Sakura's where the pink haired girl hunched on all fours. Then Sakura collapsed on her face.

The Sand moderator appeared and nudged Sakura with his foot before turning to Tenten and declaring her the winner. The stands erupted in noise and stomping as Lee and Neji jumped from the sideline and ran towards the two girls.

Lee made a beeline for Tenten to congratulate her on her accomplishment and on the fantastic kick she had landed. Neji was torn between his teammate and the unconscious girl lying in the dirt. She seemed…discarded… lying face down on the ground with dirt sticking to her sweaty face.

He glanced up to the stands and thought he caught a glimpse of his uncle. No, it wouldn't do to be seen sympathizing with her right now. Feeling like a traitor, he turned and walked towards Tenten.

When Neji looked back over his shoulder again, Kakashi had appeared in a swirl of leaves and lifted the limp figure of his student into his arms. With the slightest of nods towards Neji, the two disappeared.

Tenten was beaming through the sheen of sweat that coated her face and arms. "I can't believe I finally won!" she gasped, still winded from the fight. "Especially after she…" She trailed off and looked at Neji.

Neji felt a pang of guilt, a feeling he was completely unused to. "Why didn't you tell us?" she asked Neji.

"We were going to when she mastered it," Neji said softly. "And she worked it out on her own, I merely threw things at her."

Tenten smiled, "I noticed her Kaiten wasn't as tight as yours. And I guess I couldn't take credit for you learning Kaiten any more than you could take credit for her."

Neji again wondered if he would be half as understanding as Tenten if the roles had been reversed.

----------

After Neji noticed the crowds starting to filter out of the stadium, he felt it was safe to go look for his temporary teammate. He wandered into the hallway beneath the stands and began knocking on the locker room doors.

"Hai," came the voice of Kakashi from one of the rooms near the end of the hall.

Neji opened the door quietly and saw Kakashi slouched against the wall opposite a small cot. A white-coated medic nin was just closing his bag as he stood up from the bedside.

"She only depleted all her chakra, and too quickly at that," he said. "The other wounds are minor, and with rest and time, she will be completely fine."

Neji bowed to the small man as he left the room and then stepped in through the door.

Kakashi merely closed his book and stowed it in his pouch. "I don't know if I should thank you or give you some pocket money to start running," the silver-haired Jounin said.

"I was not taught Hakkeshou Kaiten either," Neji replied stiffly. "If I could figure it out on my own, surely someone as intelligent as Sakura-san could figure it out as well." He thought he sounded a little too defensive for his own good.

Kakashi stared at him a moment longer with his heavy-lidded eye before they were interrupted by movement on the bed.

Sakura opened her eyes and looked around with an unfocused gaze. "Whmmmpfff?" she mumbled.

"You used all your chakra during the match," Kakashi explained. "Rest now, and we will talk later."

Instead of complying, the girl struggled up onto her elbows. "Almost… It almost worked," she said softly to Neji.

"Are you kidding me?" Neji said, striding to the bed. "It _did_ work. That was a serious achievement."

Kakashi grunted his agreement and quietly let himself out of the room.

"But I was still hit," Sakura said sitting up to look at her freshly healed calf. "If only I had more stamina like Naruto…" Tears began welling in her emerald eyes.

"Listen to me," Neji said, grabbing her shoulders and turning her towards him. She kept her eyes downcast on her hands. "Your performance out there was incredible. There aren't ten ninja in this stadium who could do what you just did."

Neji put his fingers under her chin and forced her to meet his eyes. "You need to stop looking at things in black and white, winning and losing. You should be proud of your accomplishments. I am."

It was true, Neji had seen her transformation with his own eyes in the past six months.

Tears began forming in her eyes again until she heard Kakashi's voice from the hallway. "Please, Hyuuga-sama, my student needs to rest. She is not ready for visitors yet."

Neji felt his eyes widen to mirror the panic that he saw in Sakura's. Then she pushed Neji away and shouted loudly, "Don't you dare yell at me, you bastard! I stole nothing! I learned that technique on my own!"

Neji stared at her in bewilderment before he caught onto her plan. Glancing at the door, he shouted, "You sneaky bitch! You must have been spying on me!"

The door opened and Hiashi stormed in. He hesitated when he saw the two young ninjas glaring kunai at each other from across the room. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. "How does this little wench know our family secrets?"

"I am not a wench!" Sakura shrilled. "And I taught myself. There's nothing about this technique that says only the Hyuuga clan can use it!"

"How dare you teach her our secrets?!" Hiashi demanded, turning on Neji.

"I taught her nothing," Neji sneered. "Just like you taught _me_ nothing. She must have been watching me during training."

"You're telling me this little girl discovered how to perform Kaiten on her _own_?" Hiashi hissed in disbelief.

"This _little girl_ is the apprentice to the Hokage," Kakashi mentioned casually from the doorway. "And this _little girl_ needs to rest right now before she passes out again."

Hiashi glanced over his shoulder at Kakashi before looking back at the two young ninjas. "I want to see you both at the main house upon your return to Konoha." Then he strode past Kakashi and back into the hallway.

"Do you think he bought it?" Sakura whispered, sinking back into her bed.

"It's all true," Neji said, leaning on the wall. "But let's down play my involvement in inspiring you to learn the technique, ne?"


	10. 10: A Reason to Dance

Chapter 10

(AN) As always, thank you for the reviews. I had held off posting this fic for so long because I wasn't sure if anyone but myself would be interested in it.

In the future, my updates will probably largely depend on the manga. There hasn't been much of Neji or Sakura lately, for instance, but depending on how the next few manga chapters go, there might be some inspiration for me to write about Ino during the timeskip. In fact, I just got an idea ::goes and jots down a note to herself:: (/AN)

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Neji hated pomp and circumstance, but he understood the necessity at times. The past year had been a difficult time for Konoha, and the people needed a reason to celebrate.

He stepped through the flap of the enormous tent and blinked at the dim interior. Tables were set up to one side, and a large dance floor dominated the other. Servers wandered through the milling people offering appetizers and drinks, and a band was already playing on a small platform beside the dance floor.

A large knot of people had formed around the reason for this celebration – five of Konoha's ninja had become Chuunin after this last exam: Tenten, Sakura, Lee, Shino, and Kiba. It was a record for the village and the display of potential and power at the exam would greatly increase business for Konoha.

Kiba stood talking to his sister with his hand on Akamaru's head, which now reached his waist. Shino was standing with Shikimaru and Chouji, and Sakura and Tenten had their arms around each other's shoulders and were laughing at something Ino must have said.

Lee was of course bouncing in front of Gai, who kept sending smug looks towards Kakashi. As usual, Kakashi affected not to notice and kept his nose buried in his little orange book.

"Come, Neji-nii-san," Hinata said, pulling at his sleeve. "I haven't congratulated Sakura yet."

Neji allowed himself to be led further into the tent by his diminutive cousin and took in more of the details. Most people were dressed formally in kimono or suits, and some women wore evening dresses. Despite the festive atmosphere, he glimpsed two robed ANBU figures and knew there must be more that he couldn't see. The Godaime took no chances, it seemed.

Neji stopped to offer his congratulations to Kiba and Shino. Despite being eliminated in the quarter finals, they had fought well enough to earn the rank of Chuunin.

It had been a strange tournament this year. Not only had Sakura and Tenten been matched together, but Tenten and Kiba as well. Kiba had not taken his defeat well, but upon learning that he was still being promoted he began strutting again.

Shino had also lost in the quarter finals in a grudge match against Kankerou. Tenten went on to beat Kankerou in what was a brilliant match of two ranged ninja. Kankerou also became a Chuunin along with the guy that Sakura fought in the quarter finals. Only one Genin of the final eight had not been promoted.

Neji turned to look for his cousin and spotted her with Ino and Sakura. All three girls wore kimono, and Ino certainly looked beautiful, but Neji found his eyes drifting back to Sakura. She was wearing a silk kimono that deepened from light blue at the shoulders to a rich sapphire by her feet with diagonal swirls of pink sakura blossoms. Her white obi was brocaded with shimmering butterflies that matched the comb holding her pink locks in a simple chiffon.

He paused a moment to marvel at how different she seemed from when they first really met six months ago. Then, she had worn a carefully arranged mask of happiness. Beneath, he had seen a young woman who did her best to distract herself from her demons. Now she absolutely radiated. He could see her smile came truly from within and wasn't merely something to hide behind.

"If it wasn't for that buffoon who was placed in our group, Chouji and I would have made it past the second test," Ino was saying.

Hinata, who had made it past the second test with Shino and Kiba, was eliminated before the main fights. She looked down and blushed, and Neji knew she was still embarrassed that her teammates had been successful while she had failed again.

"Hinata-sama, why don't you train with Ino-san and Chouji-san for the next exam. Then they won't have to rely on an unknown genin again," Neji suggested, stepping up behind his cousin.

"That's brilliant!" Ino exclaimed flashing Neji one of her killer smiles.

"Really? You wouldn't mind having me?" Hinata stammered.

"I think it's a great idea, too!" Sakura said, beaming at Neji.

"What's a great idea?" asked the Godaime, strolling up to the group.

"Neji-san suggested that Hinata train with Ino and Chouji for the next exam," Sakura answered promptly.

"Ah, that is a good idea," the Godaime said with a tipsy smile. "Look how training with other teams has helped Sakura. Speaking of which, I'd like to see you in my office tomorrow. Nine AM sharp." With a small nod to Neji, the Hokage sauntered off in search of more sake.

Sakura glanced over at Neji with a worried frown, but before he could say anything to reassure her, a group of people descended to throw praise at the new Chuunin, and Neji decided to find himself a nice corner to sit in.

------------------

After the Godaime left the group, another cluster of people she didn't know came over to Sakura to congratulate her on her achievement. For the first time, Sakura had been acknowledged by the village, and she felt like she was floating on proverbial air. She knew many people cheered for her because she was a dark horse – no bloodline, no family history of techniques and famous ninjas. She began to realize why Naruto craved such attention.

Ino swung by and grabbed Sakura's elbow. "Let's dance!" she shouted over the music. On the way to the dance floor, they snagged Tenten and Hinata, the latter of whom looked ready to faint at the thought of dancing in public. Kurenai and Asuma were already out on the floor, and Ino openly oogled her sensei dancing. Gai was trying to teach Lee the 'dance moves of love and youth,' which had the girls in fits of giggles.

A group of young men from the village came over to the girls and asked them to dance, and Sakura found herself separated from her friends. The young man she was dancing with was nice enough, but she didn't even commit his name to memory.

The song ended and a slow one began, and the young man looked like he was about to ask for another dance when he glanced behind her and paled before scurrying away with a lame excuse about a curfew. Sakura turned around to see Genma smirking down at her with a senbon between his lips.

"May I have the honor?" he asked, taking Sakura in his arms. She felt a bit intimidated by the older Jounin, and nearly squeaked as his right hand dipped low on her hip.

Before they could take five steps, someone coughed nearby, and Sakura looked up to see Kakashi standing with his arms crossed and both eyes visible. Genma bowed quickly and beat a hasty retreat as Kakashi stepped into his place. Sakura grinned up at her sensei as he readjusted his hitai-ate to cover his sharingan and muttered about "dirty old men". Sakura couldn't stifle a laugh as they began weaving around the other couples.

"Kakashi-sensei, I never imagined you as a dancer," Sakura teased.

"Copying dances is as easy as copying jutsu," he replied as he raised his arm and twirled Sakura in a circle.

Sakura had to appreciate the easy grace of her sensei. He wore a dark suit with the jacket unbuttoned and a white silk shirt that was half untucked, and he moved as effortlessly as always. He peered down at Sakura for a moment, and his gaze sharpened until he sighed and looked over her head again.

"Sakura-chan, I apologize," he said in a low voice.

"Apologize? What…" Sakura began.

"For being a terrible teacher," he replied. "You never would have achieved what you did last week if I had remained your teacher. I neglected you. I neglected Naruto, too. I am sorry."

There was an uncomfortable silence before Sakura said quietly, "No, sensei, you're the only one who hasn't neglected me. Regardless of what you have or have not taught me, you were there for me during the exam. I would have been left in the dirt in the arena until someone came around to sweep up the trash. And besides," she continued with a lighter tone, "I hear first-hand how busy Tsunade-shishou keeps you."

Kakashi seemed to think this over a moment before nodding slowly. Sakura knew he could identify with her loneliness. Or rather, Sakura was beginning to be able to identify with his. When they had first met, Kakashi-sensei had mentioned that all his friends and family had already died. Sakura knew she was lucky that her friends had merely left.

"Ah, I nearly forgot," Kakashi said, a smile crinkling his one visible eye. He reached into his pocket and drew out a strangely shaped kunai with an engraving on the handle. "This is your present for being my very first student to become a Chuunin."

Sakura stepped back and took the kunai. It felt very well balanced, but a bit heavier than usual.

"The jutsu it originally had in it is long gone, but consider it good luck," he told her. "It is special."

"Thank you, sensei," Sakura said, tucking the kunai into her obi.

They finished their dance, and as Kakashi left to go get a drink at the bar, she couldn't help but think that she had been given a glimpse into her mysterious teacher's life.

Sakura smiled at the slouched back of her sensei and went looking for Ino, who was on the other side of the floor dancing with Genma. Sakura rolled her eyes and turned around only to run into a green spandex suit.

'He must have his clothes tailored for him. You can't possibly buy spandex like this in a store, can you?' she thought to herself.

Lee struck a pose that bordered on obscene and said, "Flower of youth and spring, please dance with me." He struck a second pose and held out his hand.

Sakura glanced around looking for assistance but found none. Ino was still with Genma, and Tenten and Hinata weren't in sight. "Umm… well…"

"Sorry Lee, but I had already reserved the next dance with Sakura," came a smooth voice behind her.

Lee fell over from his pose and said, "You are truly my rival, beating me even to ask this fair maiden to dance."

Tenten appeared at that point and pulled Lee to his feet. "C'mon, dance over here with me and leave those two alone," she said with a wink to her other teammates.

Sakura sighed gratefully and turned around to face Neji. "Thank you for that," she said.

Neji just smirked and glanced down at the kunai sticking out of her obi. "Maybe you don't need my protection?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It was a gift from Kakashi-sensei!" she said indignantly. "And anyway, are we going to dance or what?"

Neji leaned close to her ear and whispered, "I have a confession. I don't know how to dance. I was just trying to save you from Lee."

Sakura chuckled and showed him where to put his arms. "Just follow what everyone else is doing. You'll be fine," she said reassuringly.

She laughed out loud when he activated his Byakugan and told him, "I didn't mean literally!"

He shrugged and began moving with the music. Sakura couldn't help but giggle when they would pass another couple and she could see that they were the ones Neji was imitating.

"Hey, I could take you back to the green beast, if you like," Neji said with a low growl.

"No, Neji! Anything but that!" Sakura said with mock fear, ducking behind him and peering over his shoulder.

Neji just smirked and spun her back in front of him. They continued their trip around the dance floor, and Sakura decided that all ninja must be good dancers. First Kakashi, then Neji. 'Scratch that,' Sakura thought to herself. 'Make that all genius ninja.' She couldn't imagine Naruto doing _anything_ gracefully.

'I wonder if Sasuke-kun is a good dancer,' she thought idly. Funny, it was the first time that day she had thought about Sasuke. Normally he haunted every minute of her life.

'Sasuke would never do something like dance with you,' the small voice in her head whispered.

Sakura shook her head and realized that the music had stopped, and Neji was peering down at her.

"Is everything ok?" he asked.

"Hai, I'm fine," she said honestly. "Let's get a drink."

Still holding on to Neji's hand, she led him over to the bar and ordered a soda. Neji had water.

"Sometime soon, I want you to show me what you did to deflect Tenten's kunai in the final match," he said, turning to her. "I've been working on a similar technique."

Before she could reply, the tempo of the music changed and the crowd shifted.

They turned to face the dance floor and saw that a ring had formed around two figures in the center. Sakura gasped when she saw that one of the people was Kakashi. "No way!" she exclaimed.

Kakashi had removed his hitai-ate, and his sharingan was faintly visible behind a spill of silver hair. 'He must mean business,' Sakura thought.

She recognized the woman he was dancing with as part of ANBU. She wore a long blue Chinese-style gown with a slit up one thigh. Sakura could see her kunai holster taped to her slim leg.

The two figures circled each other deliberately, stepping with the slow beat of the song. Suddenly, they came together and began dancing so closely that Sakura wondered how they didn't tangle their legs and fall. Their steps were perfectly timed as the made a slow circuit around the floor, and Sakura stared mesemerized by their feet. 

Another couple joined them in the same slow tango, and Sakura felt confident that the man was at least a Chuunin. He had the tell tale cat-like grace.

Sakura was startled when Neji took her glass from her hand and placed it on the bar. 'Hey, I wasn't…" she began.

"Let's go," Neji said, tugging at her hand.

"But I thought you didn't know how!" Sakura said. She felt her face heat with the thought of dancing with anyone like _that_.

"I've been watching like you told me to," he said with a smirk. "Come on, I'll lead."

Sakura hesitated before following Neji to where another couple had joined the previous two. There was still a crowd watching, though, and Sakura balked one last time.

Then she saw Lee striding towards her with hearts in his eyes and Sakura nearly jumped the last few feet to the dance floor.

Neji took her hand the way he had when they danced previously, but then pulled her close so that their chests were touching and she had to tilt her head back to look at him.

And then they were moving. They glided across the floor in step with the music, and for a panicked moment she was unsure of what she should do. Neji made it easy for her, though, by directing her movements with his hand at the small of her back.

Sakura realized they were matching Kakashi and his companion step for step. Even though his Byakugan weren't activated, Neji had already memorized the entire dance.

On their next pass down the dance floor, Sakura noticed Ino staring at her with her mouth slightly agape. Well, she knew what she was doing for lunch the next day.

Looking around, Sakura realized she was not holding up her end of the bargain and started watching the other couples' footwork. The other three women were all wearing dresses, and Sakura was having a noticeably more difficult time in her kimono. Still, she and Neji managed a fair amount of grace and precision if not the more mature sensuality of the other couples.

By the time the song was over, Sakura was exhausted but exhilarated. She hadn't had this much fun in… who knows how long. The three men came over to clap Neji on the back and the women congratulated Sakura once again on her promotion. As Sakura watched the ANBU woman walk away, she said, "I need to get a dress like that. It's too hard to dance in a kimono."

"I agree," Neji said with an emphatic nod.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, looking at him sideways.

Neji grinned and began fussing with the folds of his clothing. "Next time, maybe I'll wear a suit." He was wearing a plain kimono made from the softest charcoal gray fabric and a cream-colored obi that matched his nagajuban. He also wore a black haori embroidered with the Hyuuga crest on the back.

"I think the kimono suits you," Sakura said. "You look good in traditional clothes, Neji."

Neji opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Just then, Gai arrived with Lee and Tenten in tow for a victory toast and celebration, and Sakura turned her concentration to avoiding the glare from Gai's teeth.


	11. 11: Acknowledgement

Chapter 11

(AN) sniper: Thanks for the feedback! I think I've got my system worked out, and I hope you will like it. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu!

I know it has only been a day since my last update, but I loved this chapter and wanted to post it as soon as possible! (/AN)

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To Sakura's amazement, Tsunade was indeed in her office at 9 AM the next morning. And awake to boot.

By one o'clock, Sakura was starving and gratefully allowed Ino to drag her by the arm to the tea house.

After making her rounds at the hospital, it was nearly six in the evening before she found herself standing outside the gate to the Hyuuga compound. Sakura felt intimidated by the solemn atmosphere of the house, but the servant at the door greeted her as a colleague of Hinata and Neji and told her she could find Neji in the courtyard.

Sakura padded down the hallway in the direction the woman pointed and marveled at all the rooms. Beautiful shoji screens lined half a dozen tatami rooms on the right side of the hallway. The left wall was mainly composed of large windows that overlooked the central garden.

She hesitated a moment when she saw Neji sitting beneath a large willow tree. He had his eyes closed and was meditating, and Sakura loathed ruining the peaceful scene. She tiptoed out the door and onto the small porch, all the while keeping an eye on the motionless figure.

She was reminded of Ino's shock and surprise that afternoon to find out that Sakura considered Neji a friend.

"I didn't think guys like that _had_ friends," the blonde had said.

But it was true. Sakura valued Neji's friendship as much as she did Ino or Tenten or Hinata. She had always figured that the first Chuunin Exam had changed him so that he was in general more pleasant to be with, but Ino had assured her that she was still scared witless of the genius no matter how handsome he was.

Studying him in the low evening light, Sakura saw what Ino was talking about. He was wearing a short-sleeve blue jinbei with cropped pants despite the chill in the air, and his hair was unbound and loose around his face. He still hadn't re-bandaged his arm and leg after the celebration last night. With his eyes closed and his face relaxed, he looked like a flawless ivory statue.

"I can't believe you danced that close to him and didn't turn to ice," Ino had said.

"Well did you come all this way just to stare at me? Or did you have something to talk about," Neji called out in a gruff voice without opening his eyes.

Sakura blinked and became flustered until she remembered that she _did_ had something to tell him. She slipped into a pair of geta and darted across the garden to tackle the meditating ninja in a bearhug.

She laughed when she saw that Neji had drawn a kunai from some hidden pocket. "Careful, woman, you're going to break a rib," he choked out.

"I have the most wonderful news!" she breathed excitedly, sitting back on her heels. "This morning Tsunade-shishou said I am ready to begin learning her regeneration technique."

"You mean Souzou Saisei?" Neji asked in disbelief.

"It will be several years before I can handle the full technique, but I will be able to heal any wound to my own body!" Sakura said, bouncing around. "And it's all because of you, Neji. Because of everything you've done for me!"

"And just what has he done for you, child?" asked a stern voice from the porch.

Sakura turned to see Hyuuga Hiashi striding into the courtyard with a very displeased look on his face. Neji cursed softly, and they both stood up swiftly. Sakura swallowed hard when she noticed the veins surrounding Hiashi's eyes.

When he didn't get a response, Hiashi continued, "I've been thinking about your performance at the exam, girl. I felt it inappropriate to use my bloodline and so did not see the true extent of your skill. If you can convince me that you have the intelligence and talent to teach yourself one of the Hyuuga clan's secret techniques, then I will let the subject drop."

A spark of hope flared in Sakura's chest. 'He's not going to kill me after all!' she thought.

"What would you have me do, Hyuuga-sama?" Sakura asked with her head bowed.

Hiashi merely turned to Neji and said, "Attack her." 

------------

Sakura turned a confused face towards Neji, but immediately had to dodge his first attack. Neji knew what Hiashi wanted, and he knew he could coax it from this girl.

"Time to pull out your bag of tricks," Neji hissed as he slid behind her with a kunai at her throat.

Sakura instinctually replaced herself with a lantern that was sitting on the porch and reappeared out of the tree above him forming the seals for a Katon. Neji knew what she was capable of, and as soon as she shouted "Gokyaku no jutsu!" he jumped away before charging back towards the fire.

As expected, she tracked him as he dodged left and right, but then she abruptly stopped the technique. "I'm sorry, I'm setting the garden on…"

Neji didn't let her finish, he completed his attack with a strike to two tenketsu on her left shoulder.

"Don't worry about the garden, this is what Hiashi-sama asked for," Neji told her as he jumped up to perch horizontally on the trunk of the tree.

"Well that's the last time I'm ever considerate to you!" she huffed as she ran her right hand over her blocked shoulder. Neji saw his uncle's eyebrow twitch as the chakra began flowing back down Sakura's left arm.

'Now to prove the point,' Neji thought as he moved in to show off her Taijutsu and evasion skills. Finally Neji spotted an opening and twisted around for a back spin kick. He knew Sakura wouldn't be able to guard in time, but she did the next best thing. She used a pulse of chakra from the back of her head to deflect the kick just enough for her to dodge and counter.

Neji found himself off balance from the rotation, and Sakura brought her leg down in an axe kick that cracked the ground. Neji just barely managed to avoid being squashed like a bug and stumbled over the tremors from her kick. He retreated quickly and resumed his Juuken stance.

"Halt!" roared Hiashi. "That's enough fighting. They say you're being trained as a medic. Are you any good at healing?"

Sakura turned towards the older man and took a strange looking kunai from her pouch. She drove the tip through the palm of her left hand, before removing the weapon, placing it back in her pouch, and healing it with her other hand.

Neji admired how she didn't blink at the whole process, but he had a hunch she was getting angry at the challenge to her abilities.

"I am training to be a medic ninja under the apprenticeship of Hokage-sama," she said evenly.

Hiashi nodded his understanding and studied the girl in front of him before saying, "I want your word that you will never teach Kaiten or any other Hyuuga secret to another soul, upon penalty of death."

"I swear, Hyuuga-sama," Sakura said, bowing with sincerity.

"Also, you should not rely on Kaiten to always save you. Without Byakugan, you will not be able to see all the attacks aimed at you. It will forever be incomplete."

Hiashi stared a moment longer before walking back inside the house. Neji thought he heard him mutter something about new blood.

---------------

Sakura waited until Hiashi had rounded a corner in the house and was out of sight before collapsing to the ground. Neji sat down next to her.

"He's scary," she panted as she crawled over to Neji and leaned her back against his.

"You went easy on me," she said accusingly. 

"The goal wasn't to hurt you, but to show off your abilities," he replied. "And it worked, so no grumbling."

"Someone's going to have to fix that hole in the ground," she said sheepishly.

Neji just dismissed it with a dry chuckle. "You really do have some destructive tendencies…"

"Oh, I had almost forgotten why I came. I brought this for you," she said, reaching around to hand him a tiny box wrapped in silver paper.

"What's this for?" he asked, looking at the present as if he had never received one before.

"I told you, shishou says that I've reached the next level and can begin training in earnest. And it's all because of you!" she replied.

"Because I beat you up so much the constant healing has improved your skill?" he asked with a straight face.

Sakura snorted and made a grab for the box, but Neji held it out of her reach.

"Because now that I can control chakra anywhere in my body, I can heal myself anywhere in my body, baka!" she said, putting one hand on his leg to lean over his lap towards the gift box. "But since you're so arrogant maybe I shouldn't thank you after all!"

"I should be the one thanking _you_," Neji said softly, and Sakura stopped struggling with one hand in the air at the change in his voice. She looked up at him with a puzzled expression, her eyes no longer round with violent intent.

The wind blew his hair lightly across his face as he continued, "You have taught me much about myself. I've… never really had a friend before. I always thought that bonds would tie me down and hold me back. I only tolerated teammates because I had to."

He looked down at her and smiled, "Watching you these past several months, I feel like we have no limits. I feel like we could do anything."

Sakura didn't know what to say. She was caught in his silver gaze and dazed by his words. "We could do…" she repeated dumbly. We?

The sound of a sliding door shutting in the main house broke the silence and Sakura realized how closely they were sitting, her face just inches from his. She returned to her original position, leaning her back against Neji's and wondering if he could feel her heart pounding.

---------------

After the kunoichi departed with a yawn, Neji retreated to his room and shut the door before opening the small gift box. Inside was a beautiful green jade netsuke carved in the shape of a soaring falcon. The deep emerald color reminded him of her eyes, and he found himself lying on his futon with the pendant hanging above him from his fingers.

At first, Neji had assumed that this is what friendship is like. He had grown closer to Hinata and Hanabi and cared very much for them. He also cared for Tenten and even Lee. But this green-eyed girl was different from them.

Throughout the day, he would find his thoughts trailing back to her. He had assumed it was simply because they spent time together. Now, as he imagined the feeling of her rib-cracking hug, he began to grow agitated. How could one person affect him like this?

His thoughts floated to the previous night and how they had danced together. Her body had molded to his as they swept around the room. At the time, he hadn't noticed how intimate they were because he was concentrating so hard on the other couples.

Now, he flushed to remember how delicate she felt in his arms and how her body had moved beneath his hands. He sat up and began clearing his mind. Tonight definitely called for some quiet meditation.


	12. 11:5: Becoming Stronger

Chapter 11.5

(AN) I dedicate this chapter to Naruto: Shippuden and the end of the god-awful filler episodes. Kanpai! I'm not sure I like the way they opened the first episode, but the important point is that Team Gai will be showing up in a couple months! For those of you who don't read the manga, at least check out a few of the chapters as the anime catches up (Chapters 245-246 are the ones covered by this week) because the character design is much nicer and cleaner in the manga. Sakura is definitely cuter when drawn by Kishimoto himself. The anime did funny things to her nose.

And now in honor of Valentine's Day and excessive amounts of snow, I give you this fluffy chapter. It takes place between Chapter 11: Acknowledgement and Chapter 12: High Specific Heat. (/AN)

--------------

Ino was growing frustrated after spending most of the afternoon tromping around the streets and roofs of Konoha looking for a certain brunette. In an unusually cold spell, the gray winter skies had actually dumped quite a bit of snow on Fire Country, and nobody seemed to know what to make of it all. The streets were relatively empty because there were no plows to deal with such a situation. Tugging her rarely-worn jacket tighter, Ino was about to give up and find herself a nice warm café with nice warm coffee when she finally spotted Tenten walking out of the weapons shop with a small package.

The older girl turned and smiled at Ino as the blonde fell into step beside her and together they crunched through the snow. Since their first real conversation half a year ago, the two had steadily become friendlier along with Sakura and even Hinata to an extent. There was a sense of camaraderie between the girls in the male-dominated world of shinobi.

They chattered about the weather and the latest events in Konoha before Ino stealthily steered the conversation towards her original intention for finding Tenten. "I still can't believe what an awesome party the Hokage threw for you all the other week!" Ino said.

"I know! It was so much fun seeing everyone dressed up," Tenten agreed.

"I have to say, though, that Sakura and your teammate stole the show when they went out on the dance floor with Kakashi-sensei and the others," Ino said casually. "I didn't know she could dance like that!"

"I was shocked, too," said Tenten. "Neji was never the type to do something like dance, let alone like _that_." Ino examined her out of the corner of her eye for signs of jealousy.

She decided the best tactic was to be frank with Tenten and then study her reaction. "Has there ever been anything between you and Neji?" Ino asked.

If Tenten was surprised by the question, she didn't show it. "Not a thing, though I used to have a huge crush on him, and I suppose I still do a little," Tenten said openly with one finger resting thoughtfully on her chin. "You have to admit that he's handsome, ne?"

Ino nodded in agreement, though the guy still intimidated her too much to for her to be attracted to him.

"Back a year or two ago, my team was meeting for dinner. For whatever reason, Gai-sensei and Lee never showed up, and I was excited that it would be my first time with Neji on a 'date.'" Tenten rolled her eyes at the memory. "I don't think he said five words over the entire meal, and the whole time my insides were fluttering so bad I thought I would retch. After that I think I lost my nerve, and over time the feelings faded."

Ino nodded in understanding and commiseration. Her whole crush on Sasuke ended without five words being spoken to her.

"In Neji's defense, he has changed a lot in the past year or so," Tenten continued. "I'm just glad he's finally accepting me and Lee as friends and teammates."

"Do you think Neji's capable of liking another girl?" Ino asked. She was trying to be subtle, but Tenten had already picked up what she was getting at.

"Like a certain pink-haired medic?" Tenten asked slyly.

The girls looked at each other and squealed. "They are so in love they don't even know they're in love!" Ino grinned, clutching her hands to her chest.

"I've never seen Neji treat anyone the way he acts towards Sakura," Tenten grinned. They squealed again.

"So this is where I need your help," Ino said in a low voice. "My father showed me a new technique that I want to try. And if I happen to come across a certain couple while I'm practicing…"

"How can I help?" Tenten asked with her eyes twinkling mischieviously.

"It's a variation on Shintenshin no Jutsu, so I need someone to take care of my body," Ino told her.

"That's all?" Tenten said, a little disappointed. She had envisioned elaborate spy tactics and listening devices.

"I saw Sakura earlier today and she said she was meeting Neji in the afternoon. I want to see what's really going on between them, and I promise to tell you everything that happens," Ino explained.

"Ok, let's do it!" Tenten said.

The girls made their way to a small veterinary clinic that tended many of the messenger hawks as well as other assorted animals. Ino told the receptionist that she needed a white snow rabbit for her training. The receptionist gave her a strange look, but Ino explained that it was for practicing substitutions. Her father had told her that mammals were the easiest hosts to begin with, and birds and fish would come later.

Tenten led the way towards her team's training area, but she was worried Neji would see them with his Byakugan if they got too close. Tenten held the squirming ball of fluff in front of Ino, who put a small plastic tarp on the ground before sitting down and making a few handseals. "Shintenshin no Jutsu!" she said as she made the last seal.

Suddenly, the rabbit in Tenten's arms grew very still, and Ino's unconscious body fell over onto the tarp. Tenten turned the rabbit around and met its watery black stare. It bared its teeth in what may have been an attempt to smile.

Tenten put the rabbit down in the snow, and it virtually disappeared except for its eyes. It hopped around a little as if testing its range of motion before sniffing the air and taking off into the forest. Tenten grinned as she watched it run away and then carefully sat Ino's limp form against the tree.

Meanwhile, Ino was enjoying the freedom of being in an animal's body. It was much different than when she transferred her mind to a human, and she had to be careful she didn't try to move like she was bipedal. In this rabbit's body, she felt very light and fragile but also very powerful as her hindquarters propelled her across the snow.

She slowed down as she approached the training area, and she realized that animals have a multitude of senses that were unfamiliar to her. Already, she detected movement and potential danger ahead, but when she finally reached the clearing she saw that it was just two humans causing all this rabbit-panic in her host.

Sakura and Neji were standing in the middle of the clearing talking, and Ino's keen bunny ears twitched delicately. She was amazed at how clear their voices sounded.

"… chakra as a solid object," Sakura was saying, "and used it to deflect the kunai."

Neji looked thoughtful. "As a solid object," he repeated. "Is it closer to when you're punching something or closer to Kaiten?"

"Mmmm, I would say Kaiten," Sakura replied. "If I was punching something, the actual area of impact would be very small."

Ino rolled her bunny eyes at the boring conversation. Where was the passion she saw while they were dancing? Where was the flirting of teenage lust?

Neji bent down and scooped up a handful of snow. When he stood up, tiny veins stood out around his eyes. "Punch this one," he said after he packed the snow into a ball and tossed it in her direction.

Sakura put her fist through the snowball, and it exploded everywhere sending showers of powder all over her head.

"Ok, now deflect this one," Neji said, tossing a second snowball at her.

This time, the snowball merely careened to one side without breaking apart too much.

"Ok, my turn!" Sakura said, shaping a snowball in her hands. "I want to see what your Juuken does to this." She threw the ball at Neji, who simply held out his hand. The snowball splattered against his palm and fell to the ground.

"C'mon, just do it," Sakura pouted.

"I did," Neji said. "Juuken doesn't affect things physically."

Sakura looked thoughtful, and then reached into her belt pouch. "Kaiten, then," she said with a devilish grin. She threw a kunai at the tree above Neji's head, and Ino could see the exploding tag attached to the knife. A small explosion sent a huge shower of snow falling from the laden branches, and Neji quickly dug into his spin.

Sakura regretted her prank as a wall of snow rebounded from Neji's rotating form and nearly knocked her from her feet. Ino scurried quickly into a nearby bush to escape the sudden blizzard.

When Neji ended his technique and looked at Sakura, he broke out laughing. Ino was amazed to see the Hyuuga prodigy express such mirth, though the sight really was amusing. Sakura was covered in a sheet of snow with only a few hints of pink and green visible around her face. She shook the icy layer from her body and glared at Neji. The glare quickly turned sheepish, however.

"What exactly are you trying to figure out, Neji-san?" she asked nonchalantly as she dusted snow from her jacket.

"How to deflect things without needing the rotational energy of Kaiten," he replied.

He tossed another snowball at Sakura while watching her hand closely. Again, the snowball veered off course two feet from her hand. Sakura made a snowball and fired it back at Neji. He held his hand out, and the snowball stopped a foot from his palm as if it hit a wall.

"There!" Sakura said cheerfully, but Neji wasn't satisfied.

"Another," he called, and the pink haired girl complied.

This time, the snowball exploded in mid air as if he had put his fist through it. "That was closer," Neji said thoughtfully as he folded his arms. He spluttered indignantly when a third snowball struck him square in the face.

"I thought you were paying attention," Sakura said innocently, but a tiny smile betrayed her wide eyes.

She dodged quickly as Neji fired a snowball at her and had to deflect a second one. "Hey, you threw that one hard," she complained, but had to dodge again. She growled and scooped up a double handful of snow.

Neji stood his ground with as much dignity as he could muster and held his hand out to stop each snowball with a burst of chakra. Soon, the two ninja were running around the clearing while deflecting and hurling snowballs.

Suddenly, Neji stiffened and whirled towards the bush where Ino was hiding. Instead of a snowball, Ino saw the gleam of black steel flashing towards her and she scampered out into the snow just as a kunai thumped into the base of the bush.

"What was that for?" Sakura asked.

"I noticed that rabbit a little while ago," Neji said, staring at Ino suspiciously. "Any other animal would have been scared off by our actions, but that one stayed in place."

"Maybe it thought it was in a good hiding spot," Sakura suggested, and Ino mentally thanked her friend.

"Perhaps, but why is it still sitting there looking at us?" Neji pointed out.

'Oh hell,' Ino thought to herself. She turned and bounded away from the clearing before releasing her jutsu.

Suddenly, she felt much heavier and clumsier and definitely much colder. She opened her eyes to see Tenten squatting under a tree while sharpening her kunai. The older girl noticed the movement and came over with a big grin on her face. "Well?" she prompted.

"Definitely not as exciting as I had hoped," Ino said with a sigh as she got to her feet shivering.

"So we sat out here freezing for nothing?" Tenten asked.

"Not nothing," Ino replied. "I got to see Hyuuga Neji laugh."

Tenten giggled at this. "I've seen it before, but it's definitely a rare occasion. But now that I think about it, it definitely occurs mostly when Sakura is around."

The girls grinned at each other with glints in their eyes. "And you're not going to believe this," Ino continued, "but they were having a snowball fight."

Tenten gawked openly as Ino filled her in on the rest of the 'training session' on the way back to town. Something was definitely going on!


	13. 12: High Specific Heat

Chapter 12

---------------

Neji opened his eyes from where he was meditating in the forest. At least once a day he spent time straining his Byakugan to the limit in an effort to increase his range. As his radius increased, the volume of information increased even faster, and the trickiest part was sorting the useful images from the junk.

He stood up and began leaping through the trees towards the familiar chakra of a certain kunoichi. He alighted on a branch near a large stream and sat with his own chakra concealed.

Sakura was standing in the middle of the stream with wisps of mist swirling around her. She had her eyes closed as she quickly formed a series of seals with her hands. At the end, she shouted, "Kiri Gakure no Jutsu!"

Neji watched her practice this for a little while until she was able to completely surround herself with mist. He jumped down and walked over to the middle of the stream.

As the mist dissipated, Sakura opened her eyes and let out a small shriek of surprise to see someone standing in front of her. She took a step backwards and lost control of the chakra in her feet. Windmilling wildly, she fell into the water with a splash.

"Neji! You bastard!" she howled as she surfaced spluttering.

Neji found he couldn't stop himself from laughing. "That was pretty ungraceful for a ninja, I must say."

She shot him an evil glare and held out her hand for him to help her back up. "Bastard," she muttered.

Neji got himself under control and reached out to hoist her back onto the surface. As expected, as soon as she clasped his forearm, she leaned back and hauled with all her strength.

Neji simply used the chakra in his hands to catch his fall and then lay down on the water. He knew he was showing off at this point, but he had to admit that he was enjoying himself.

He rolled over on his back with his hands behind his head and looked up at the clouds rolling past the budding trees overhead. He could almost hear Sakura fuming.

Still treading in place, she flicked a handful of water at his head. Neji used a small burst of chakra to deflect it.

She swam over and splashed him inches from his ear. He blocked that, too.

He felt her hands on his abdomen, and then let out a huff of air as she hoisted herself onto his stomach. Neji quickly had to increase the chakra from his back and legs to compensate for the extra weight. His clothing grew damp from the dripping kunoichi sitting on him, but he pretended not to notice.

After a moment of silence, he glanced up at Sakura. The murderous look had left her eyes and now she looked thoughtful.

She splashed back into the water and moved a small distance away. "Block this," she said as she swept her arm in an arc through the water.

'Oh hell,' Neji thought as she released a large pulse of chakra into the water creating a huge wave that washed over his whole body.

He pulled himself out of the water and immediately had to jump over a second small tidal wave. He charged towards her, and Sakura took a defensive stance ready to meet his attack despite the triumphant grin on her face.

At the last moment, Neji stopped the flow of chakra to his feet, and he sank beneath the water, grabbing Sakura's ankles on the way. Even under water he heard her yelp as she was pulled down.

She managed to catch herself before she was waist deep and used her arms to flip back out of the water. The rest of the afternoon was spent sparring in and on the stream.

Neji was pleasantly surprised at finding a new form of training. He was used to pushing his body to its maximum, but today was pushing his mind as well. They took turns trying to outwit the other with a full dunking as the ultimate goal.

Finally, Sakura lowered her arms and stowed all her weapons. "I'm pooped," she said. "And cold."

The two ninja made their way to the grassy bank and began squeezing water from their hair and clothing. The trees were only just starting to bud, but the sun was already strong and warm.

"That was fun!" Sakura said as she brushed the tangles out of her hair with her fingers.

Neji had never done anything of the sort before, but had to agree. "Yes, it was."

His shirt was cold and clammy despite beginning to dry, so he pulled it off and laid it on the grass next to him. He could feel Sakura looking at him, and he suddenly realized that perhaps he was being too intimate. He was growing too comfortable around this girl.

He reached for his wet shirt, but stopped when out of the corner of his eye he saw Sakura pull her dress up over her head. Oh God he tried not to, but his eyes immediately snapped to where she was sitting.

Neji didn't know if he was relieved or disappointed to see she was still wearing a black tank top with a mesh neckline. She smoothed out her dress on the grass and flopped onto her back with a tired sigh. Despite covering her fully, the wet material clung to her like a second skin, and Neji focused on removing the bandages from his arm and leg before they could chafe.

Without letting his eyes stray, he leaned back into the grass as well. Try as he might, he couldn't stop himself from dozing off.

-----------------

A short time later, Neji awoke with a start. The mass of pink on his stomach further enhanced his disorientation. At some point, Sakura must have rolled over seeking warmth because it was her shivering that had woken him.

He shook the sleeping girl gently. "Sakura, we should head back now," he said softly. Clouds had rolled in and obscured the sun, and a cold breeze had started blowing.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes while looking around. "I'm freezing," she said, crawling over towards her dress.

Neji felt his shirt and realized it was mostly dry, but still a bit damp. "My house isn't far away, and we have a small onsen on the property. Let's go back and warm up."

"That sounds lovely," Sakura said through chattering teeth.

Despite the rigorous training, both ninja sprinted through the forest towards the promise of a nice hot soaking.

------------------

As always, Sakura felt a little awkward in the somber atmosphere of the Hyuuga compound. The onsen was down a wooded side path away from the main house, and Sakura hurried into the women's changing room as soon as Neji pointed at the door. She dumped all her clothing and equipment into a small basket before stepping into the shower room. She quickly rinsed herself off and pinned her hair up.

The actual hot spring was outside, and Sakura felt a little vulnerable walking naked out into the cold evening air. She stepped into the water and immersed herself to her shoulders. She couldn't stop the involuntary hiss of pain as her numbed nerves suddenly jumped to life.

"Everything alright?" Neji asked from nearby.

Sakura immediately covered herself with her arms and looked around. The spring was surrounded by bamboo fences for privacy, so she surmised the men's bathing area was on the other side of one of them.

"I'm fine. I just needed a minute to adjust to the water," she said in the general direction of his voice.

"The water runs particularly hot here," Neji explained. "But it is said to have some healing properties."

Sakura settled on the stone ledge that ran along the inside of the spring. Had someone asked her that morning what her plans were for the day, she would not have included a luxurious bath in the Hyuuga private onsen.

She thought back to the fun she had training in the stream, and then the nap she took while the sun was still out. She thought about the warm body she woke up next to and realized that said body was only meters away and likely as naked as she was.

The additional blood rushing to her face made her a little dizzy. Images flashed through her mind: Neji softly touching her wrist, Neji meditating with his hair loose in the wind, Neji's face just inches from hers while they danced.

Almost immediately she was overcome by a wave of guilt. Wasn't she saving herself for Sasuke? Could her love really be so shallow that a mere fifteen months apart was enough to erase everything she had felt?

Her guilt was followed by self-loathing so strong it made her want to retch. She pulled herself out of the bath and stumbled for a towel.

"Finished already?" Neji asked from across the fence.

"Yes, thank you for inviting me," she said weakly. "I'll catch you later."

As she fled from the cause of her distress, a small voice in her head piped up, 'But perhaps Sasuke was merely child's play.'

Inner Sakura roared, "My love is absolute! Love is sacred!"

The other voice didn't answer, and Sakura wished she was still cold and wet so that she could be as wretched outside as she felt inside.


	14. 13: Hindsight

Chapter 13

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Sakura watched as the next class of academy students filtered into the room. The Hokage and Iruka had scheduled a special class for the day and then left Sakura to handle the rest. The goal was simple: to demonstrate the basic techniques for healing and then run a series of short tests to see if any of the students showed a natural aptitude. With enough interest and talent, the academy might start offering medic classes.

The noise level increased steadily as the kids slowly trickled in. From the looks of it, this was one of the older groups that would have their first crack at graduating in autumn.

They were so much like Sakura's class had been. She could envision twelve-year-old Sakura and twelve-year-old Ino posturing through the door to see who could sit with Sasuke first. She could see Shikimaru sleeping in the back next to Chouji with his never-ending stash of snacks. There were loud troublemakers like Konohamaru that reminded her of Naruto and Kiba.

One boy remained silent near the front of the room. Probably this year's genius, Sakura thought wryly. He had a calm confidence that was one of the reasons she was so attracted to Sasuke. And Neji, a small voice reminded her.

One of the girls approached the silent boy only to be dismissed by his indifference. Sakura wanted to comfort her as the smile slid off the poor girl's face and her eyes gazed down at the floor.

'Keep your head up!' Inner Sakura shouted. 'Love will prevail!'

'There will be others,' the small voice whispered.

It was strange for Sakura to think that these children, for they really seemed like children to her, were only three years younger. Oh, the things she had done in three years. The things she had seen.

Three years ago, she was still six months away from graduating from the academy. She had not been put into a team yet, had not risked her life, had not been responsible for others' lives, nor seen the grim reality of death. The most important thing in her life had been Sasuke, and everything else was a distant second.

Zabuza had been right. When they wandered into Wave Country so long ago, she and her teammates had not been ninja. Not yet, despite the hitai-ate. By the time they departed that land, however, they had been initiated.

'So naïve,' Sakura thought to herself. 'Was I once this innocent, too?' Oh, how she had changed.

Shaking the nostalgia from her mind, she loudly interrupted the happy chattering and began her class.


	15. 14: Healing Scars

Chapter 14

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Sakura tried to maintain her composure as she sat with the other medic ninja in the hospital staff room, but her legs twitched with the need to get up and pace. They had all been on rotating shifts for the past week since the beginning of the skirmishes along the border closest to Waterfall Country.

Two severely injured ninja had been brought in earlier in the week, but Sakura had not been on duty. Judging by reports in the Hokage's office, tonight would likely be the last night of fighting before the remaining enemies routed, but it did not ease the tension in her shoulders.

Shortly after sunset, the hospital burst into motion. Those involved with the skirmishes had returned, and calls came in to expect several badly wounded ninja and many more with minor injuries. Sakura hopped around trying to find out what happened and hear the names of those injured.

Tsunade strode through the main doors ahead of a line of stretchers and began barking orders to the medics as the gurneys were wheeled off down the hallways.

Sakura was instructed to follow the Hokage as she began treatment for the most critically wounded ninja. Tsunade told Sakura that her main task was to take notes and be able to recite the technique the next morning from memory.

Sakura forced her mind to focus as she took out a scroll and pen. She occasionally helped channel chakra or place some seals, but mostly she just watched and felt helpless.

Soon, however, she realized that this was no ordinary technique, and only the Hokage and maybe Shizune could perform it. It required perfect control to heal the millions of tiny synapses in the brain that had been blasted by chakra. She was told to observe this procedure because it was so rare and so difficult to perform. Sakura was humbled by how much more she had to learn to live up to her title of apprentice.

After hours of exhaustive treatment, the Godaime finally stood and stretched. The major damage had been repaired, and other medics could finish the job.

Sakura followed obediently as Tsunade checked on the remaining patients and let out a sigh of pent up anxiety when they finished the rounds and went back to Hokage's office.

Faint glimmers of her real age showed on her face as she shuffled around the papers on her desk before turning to her apprentice. "Go ahead and clock out for the night. Study your notes and be back tomorrow morning."

"Hai, Tsunade-shishou," Sakura said, turning on her heel.

"Also, please tell that Hyuuga boy that he will soon be appointed as a Jounin. It's not official until I do the paperwork, but nobody will deny that he earned the promotion," she said casually as she opened a small jar of sake.

'Hai, Tsunade-shishou!" Sakura replied, unable to hide her excitement. The kunoichi dashed out of the office without noticing the Hokage's smirk as she relaxed for a night of sake and nostalgia.

--------------

Sakura checked with the receptionist, who told her that Neji had been treated for second degree lacerations and released less than ten minutes ago. She made her way to the hospital roof and gazed towards the Hyuuga compound. She scanned the rooftops of Konoha twice before noticing a dark figure shuffling down one of the side streets near the Hyuuga gates.

She bounded along the roofs until she was right above the figure she had spotted earlier. "Neji!" she called down before she jumped lightly to the pavement.

He turned, and she saw how tired he looked. His normally proud posture was slumped with fatigue, and his shirt hung in tatters. Her excitement turned to anger when she saw the white scar tissue gleaming brightly in the moonlight where his shirt was torn.

"Who the hell healed you?" she demanded crossly.

He just shrugged his shoulders and winced. "I'm fine, just a little sore," he said tiredly.

"Sore my ass, that's a terrible job," Sakura huffed. "Does it hurt?"

Neji shrugged again as he turned to start walking again.

Sakura strode up beside him and ducked under his left arm. She took part of his weight on her shoulders as they walked silently towards the Hyuuga compound. 'He must really be exhausted to not complain,' she thought.

Near the gates, Neji's legs suddenly gave out, and if Sakura hadn't already been supporting him, he would have collapsed. She carefully placed him over her shoulder and focused her chakra into her legs and back. His arms and legs nearly brushed the ground even though he was bent double over her arm.

If the guard at the gate thought anything was amiss, he kept his thoughts to himself. Carrying Hyuugas out of the compound was definitely frowned upon, but she supposed there were no restrictions on carrying them back in.

The house was silent and asleep when Sakura entered the front hallway. She slipped off her shoes and headed towards the bedrooms. Sakura had visited with Hinata before, and she was pretty sure she knew which room was Neji's.

Sliding open the door from her memory, Sakura at first thought she must have the wrong room. The furniture was sparse and looked more like a servant's room with only a small lamp in the corner for light. Then she noticed the jade netsuke on a low table beside a picture of young Neji with his father.

She gently laid him down on the floor and pulled the futon from the closet. She found some clean sheets and soon had the unconscious ninja resting more comfortably.

She took a kunai and sliced his bandages and the ruins of his shirt off and assessed his wounds. Whoever had healed him had done a lousy job, and Sakura made an angry noise in her throat as she ran her fingers lightly over the scar tissue on his arm. Most medic-nin could heal perfectly without letting scar tissue mar the skin. Scarring led to decreased sensitivity and flexibility and was just plain sloppy in Sakura's opinion.

Thinking about how crazy the night had been, she quickly felt guilt over her anger. The medic must have done the best he or she could have, and the more talented medics must have been busy with more serious injuries.

Carefully rolling the Hyuuga onto his stomach, Sakura brushed his hair from his face and smoothed it on the pillow. She hesitated a moment before removing his hitai-ate. The juin seemed to glow even in the low light. She removed the bandages and leather strap as well.

Sakura concentrated on her chakra and began the tedious process of replacing the scar tissue with healthy skin cells.

Neji stirred and struggled to push himself upright.

"Shhh…" Sakura said. "Rest just a little longer."

At the sound of her voice, he relaxed and fell back asleep.

He awoke again just as Sakura was finishing the last scar on his left shoulder blade.

"What are you doing?" he mumbled into the pillow.

"I'm fixing you up good as new," she told him. "How does your back feel now?"

"Tight," he said, shrugging a little.

Sakura had purposefully focused solely on her task, but now she watched the light dance across his back muscles and couldn't help admire the lean cut of his figure. Two circular scars remained, but she had avoided touching them. Shizune had done incredible work there, and Sakura didn't want to mess with what she didn't understand.

"It will be like that for a day or two as the new cells merge with the old skin," she told him, leaning over to begin massaging his back.

"What… ahhh… that feels nice," he mumbled, closing his eyes.

"This will loosen you up for now," she said, channeling her chakra lightly into his muscles as she kneaded his shoulders.

"Did you just tell me I need to loosen up?" he asked sleepily.

"Always, Neji-kun," she said with a smile.

He gave her a lopsided grin without opening his eyes.

She continued working on his back until she remembered her conversation with Tsunade. She smacked her wide forehead and said, "I'm so sorry, Neji-sempai. I can't believe I forgot to tell you."

Neji cracked a silver eye open at the title.

"You've been promoted. You're a Jounin!" she told him.

"What?" he asked breathlessly as he sat up. Sakura was caught off guard at the sudden movement and fell back on her butt.

"That's what I was going to tell you when I found you in the street. But then I was so worried…" she bit her lip and trailed off. How could she have forgotten something so important?

"The Hokage told you this?" he asked,

Sakura nodded, "Straight from her own mouth."

Before she could move, Neji had swept her onto his lap in an unexpected hug. He didn't say anything, but for Neji this show of emotion was like shouting from the rooftops of the world.

She hugged him back and said, "I'm not surprised. The great Neji-sama is a genius after all. I expect nothing less!"

He hugged her tighter and whispered, "This has been my life's goal since my father died. I'm glad you were the one to tell me."

Sakura felt humbled by the statement. 'What has been _your_ life's goal?' the little voice asked inside her head.

Long ago, she had responded to this question as only a child can. She wanted to be Sasuke's wife. Even Inner Sakura blushed at how immature and naïve that was. So what was driving her now? What was she fighting and training and working for?

She fingered the old scars on Neji's back. 'To save others,' she thought to herself. 'No more will I be the one who needs to be saved. No more will I stand by and watch others do everything for me.'

Suddenly, Neji stiffened and pulled back. He put his hand to his forehead and realized his bandages had been removed.

"Why did you…" he began, turning away and looking for his hitai-ate. His hair spilled over his shoulders and framed his face in the dim light.

Sakura cupped her palm against his cheek and forced him to turn back towards her. He fought against her, so she took her second hand and placed it on his other cheek. He stopped struggling, but kept his eyes downcast.

Sakura couldn't fathom the amount of shame that boiled inside him. She hesitated and peered at the manji. Surely there was a way to heal such a mark. Without thinking, she leaned over and softly kissed the blue juin.

Neji had frozen completely still, and Sakura realized what she had done. She closed her eyes and tensed, waiting for him to explode and punch her through the wall. She almost squeaked when she felt a feather light touch whisper across her palm.

She opened her eyes as Neji turned and kissed her other palm. He looked up into her eyes, and she felt her heart start pounding in her ears. He leaned towards her until his lips nearly touched her own, as if testing to see if she would pull away.

'Hyuuga Neji?' Inner Sakura asked incredulously.

'Hai, Neji-kun,' the small voice replied.

Their lips met softly, tentatively. Her hands tangled in the hair behind his neck, and Inner Sakura remained quiet for the rest of the night.


	16. 14:5: What the House Holds

Chapter 14.5

(AN) This chapter takes place two days after Chapter 14: Healing Scars. (/AN)

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The air inside the Hyuuga storehouse was stuffy, but the boxes and crates were all kept free of dust. The cleanliness must have been the work of the house servants. The shelves were divided into long aisles and sorted by category. Neji hadn't been in this building in several years, but it still had the same smell of moldy books and old clothing. He flipped on the lights hanging from the low ceiling and began searching.

That morning he had asked Hinata where he could take his shirt to be patched and mended, and she had shyly suggested that it was time he find something new. Plucking at the tatters of the familiar beige cloth, Neji had to admit she was right. She had reminded him of the storehouse, which was where a lot of the spare kimono and other clothing were kept, and so here he was.

He found the area with boxes of neatly folded kimono and took a moment to appreciate the collection of beautiful silks and brocades. It was a shame they were rarely worn anymore. The next set of shelves held crates of nondescript clothing in every size. There were long sleeve shirts with mesh necklines, plain cotton yukata and nagajuban, hakama, jinbei, haori, and extra pants in every size. Making a quick estimate, Neji suspected there was more clothing here than in most clothing stores.

Neji saw an extra shirt like the one he usually wore, but it was unfortunately too small. Running his fingers along the dizzying selection of fabrics he pulled out a dark gray jinbei with black pinstripes. Untying his obi, he let his yukata slide from his shoulders as he tried it on. It was comfortable enough, but he kept searching. At the end of the clothing aisle were boxes with various names on them. He noticed a familiar box with childish letters and opened it to find piles of his old clothing. He had forgotten they were saved here.

He smirked at the shirt he had worn when he was first enrolled at the Academy and hesitated when he saw a tiny set of training clothes. He must have been three or four when he had actually been able to fit into them. A sudden thought sprang to his mind, and he hastily shoved his box back onto the shelf. Dragging his fingers along the brown cardboard, his heart sped up when he saw the name written on a box pushed back into a corner. It was difficult to reach, but he supposed there would be no servants adding old clothes to it anytime soon.

He pulled out the box with his father's name and paused to trace the katakana with his finger. He was surprised and proud of himself that he no longer felt indignation and rage at the thought of his father's death; he only felt emotions that he was still unfamiliar with. Longing? Sadness? Regret? These had been shadowed for his whole life by his overwhelming hatred and anger and disgust. As his breath hitched, he wasn't sure which set of emotions were preferable.

He opened the box gingerly and pulled out the folded shirt lying on top. It was the same style as Neji's toddler outfit – dark cloth with a mesh neckline. He could remember his father wearing this shirt while training him and teaching him. His father's proud smile was still etched in Neji's mind. That had been the center of Neji's world – his purpose for living in his toddling years. Everything that Neji had done, he did as best he could with as much effort as possible so that maybe, hopefully, his father would turn to him with that smile, and Neji would know he had done well. At the time, he had not known he was a genius, had not known just how unexpectedly talented he was. All he knew was that he would keep trying – try anything – for that smile.

He recalled one morning as a child when he was sitting on the porch outside the house. He was concentrating so intently on his hand that he didn't hear his father walk up behind him and peer over his shoulder. When Neji asked him what all the holes in his hands were for, his father suddenly became serious. 'Of course I can see them,' he had told his father. 'They're right here and here and here.' His father's face showed surprise, then pride, then sadness, and Neji remembered feeling worried that he had done something wrong. His father didn't explain anything at the time, however; he merely pulled his son into a hug right there on the porch. When Neji finally disentangled himself, his father was wearing that smile, though his eyes swam with unshed tears. 'Someday, Neji,' his father had said, 'you will be the strongest Jounin in this village.'

As Neji pulled out the articles of clothing one by one, he noticed the size began to decrease. Beneath the training clothes and a handful of plain kimono was a beige shirt that buttoned with a wide strap at the shoulder. Between the shirt and the matching pants was a black hip guard made of heavy cloth. Neji set these aside and continued through the box until he came to training clothes as small as those in his own box. It was strange to think that his father had once been as small as himself. He had died before he had the chance to tell Neji much about his own childhood, so Neji could only infer. How did it feel to watch your twin brother become heir of the celebrated main family and take his place beside your mother and father while you, the younger twin, were sealed and discarded?

The old emotions flared again after all. This time, however, his anger wasn't for his own predicament, but for his father's. Neji was solidly and unquestionably born into of the branch house. His father, however, was not. Which brought up another question.

Neji sighed and packed his father's clothes back into the box. He stood and went back to examine the shelves of extra clothing. He finally found what he was looking for in a half empty crate on the bottom shelf. There were only two beige shirts like the one in his father's box, but they both fit surprisingly well. He liked the way the wide sleeves hung past his wrists, and the pants were similarly loose and comfortable.

Digging around, he finally gave up looking for a hip guard and instead reopened his father's clothing box. His hand carefully pushed aside the other pieces before finding the heavy cloth. It felt somewhat dirty to wear a dead man's garment. Then again, this was merely a piece of outerwear. It's not like he was wearing his father's socks. It was like passing down armor through a family, Neji rationalized.

He and his father must have been the same size, because the guard fit almost perfectly. It hung from the waist to the knee and added light protection to the outer thigh. He scooped up his yukata and some extra training gear along with a new pair of sandals before turning off the light and leaving the storehouse.

After storing the training clothes in his room, he decided to see what was for lunch in the kitchen. He had spent the previous day catching up on sleep and hadn't bothered to eat much. The new outfit was indeed comfortable, and Neji decided he should have trusted his father's judgment in the first place. Passing the dining room, he bowed quickly to Hiashi before moving on down the hallway.

"Neji, come here," Hiashi called after him.

"Hai, Hiashi-sama," he replied as he returned to the doorway of the dining room and waited to hear what his uncle had to say.

"Where…" Hiashi began thickly. "Where did you find those clothes?" he asked.

"They were in the storehouse," Neji told him. "I had assumed they were on the shelf for general use." He should have realized that of course Hiashi would recognize the clothing, even if they were available for everyone.

"They are," Hiashi said, studying him with surprise. "Did you know…?"

He didn't finish the question, but Neji nodded. "I was going through his old clothing box. I found these on the shelves, however," he said, touching one of the long sleeves.

"That style of clothing hasn't been popular for twenty-five years," Hiashi said with a hint of emotion. Good as he was, though, Neji couldn't identify which one it was.

"If there is a problem, Hiashi-sama, I will return it immediately and find something else," Neji said obediently.

"No, no," Hiashi said, "No problem. Come sit with me a moment, Neji."

Neji was already barefoot, so he stepped onto the tatami mats and sat on a pillow across the low table from Hiashi.

A sad smile touched Hiashi's lips. "Your father wore an outfit much like that one when we were your age," the older man said. "We were so young and naïve then. I don't mean to sound condescending. It is merely a relative observation that one makes as one gets older."

Neji merely inclined his head slightly. He wasn't sure where this was headed.

"Congratulations again on your promotion," Hiashi said softly, his voice a low rumble. "Your father would be proud if he were here. I hope you can accept my own pride as an insufficient substitution." He bowed his head low to the table, and Neji felt a sudden awkwardness towards the situation.

Hiashi continued, raising his head, "I know I have said this before, but I truly did love my brother. I did not want him to die in my place, and every single day I regret not being able to stop him."

Neji had heard these words before, but he had never spoken with his uncle further about his relationship with his brother.

"You look as if you have a question for me," Hiashi noted. "Speak."

Neji paused a moment and tried to tactfully arrange his words. Instead, he just blurted, "If you loved him so much, then why did you use the seal on him? And in front of me?"

Hiashi closed his eyes. "A fair enough question. This does not excuse my actions, but you will at least know my motives." He opened his eyes and sighed heavily. "There had always been gossip about me and your father. Some of it was more poisonous than others. The clan elders were pushing me to hold the reins of the clan with a firmer hand. They said it was for the safety of Hinata that I must not betray even a hint of doubt about my position in the main family - that I must not forget to use the branch family like a tool despite my brother."

Neji wasn't buying it, and Hiashi could tell. "That day in the training room. It was the day after I placed the seal on you, wasn't it?" Hiashi commented. "When I felt my brother's intent to kill while watching Hinata, I snapped. I used the opportunity to remind him of his place and to show you what the seal meant. I was… embarrassed… by my daughter's ineptitude. I felt the need to show dominance so that no one would think of disobeying the main house even when the clan was eventually in the hands of one so weak."

Neji still said nothing. "You have another question," Hiashi said softly. "It is probably the question that everybody asks when they think I cannot hear."

Neji shifted. This has been nagging him for years, but there had never been a way to openly confront Hiashi; until now. "Why hasn't Hanabi-sama been sealed?" Neji asked softly.

Hiashi nodded to indicate it was the question he had been expecting. "The elders have been complaining about that for quite some time. They say the line of succession must be clear and uncontested. But I am a hypocrite. You will hate me after I tell you this," Hiashi sighed, "but it will be no different than how you felt towards me a couple years ago. I did not allow Hanabi to be sealed because I saw how weak my first daughter was."

Neji glanced at the open doorway. Hiashi, of course, noticed this and said, "Worry not, Hinata is on a mission and Hanabi is at the Academy. This part of the house is empty."

"So you are considering passing your position as head of the clan to your second-born daughter?" Neji asked incredulously, turning back to his uncle.

"I am," Hiashi said simply.

"And you think I will be angry because my own father was never given this chance?"

"If we had waited to see which line would have the most potential, it would have undoubtedly gone to him and to you. Your life would have been much different. But you see why we can't wait to evaluate how things will turn out, don't you? The backstabbing, the infighting, the sabotaging would all destroy this clan within a generation. I tempt fate by waiting as long as I have. There are those who would seek to use my daughters against me"

Neji nodded. Despite the unfairness of choosing by birth order, it was better than an open struggle for power. "But now you will break this tradition?" Neji asked softly.

"If I must," Hiashi replied, barely audible.

"Because you feel Hinata-sama is not the right person to lead the clan."

"Yes."

"Would Hinata-sama be sealed into the branch family?"

"No, only her children."

Neji paused to let all this information soak in. "Hiashi-sama, if I may be frank, why are you telling me all this?"

Hiashi looked surprised at the question, then thoughtful. "It seemed so… natural. I used to seek your father for advice, and seeing you dressed like this…," he trailed off.

They sat in silence a moment before Hiashi spoke again. "I suppose I feel guilty that I have the gall to break tradition for my own daughter, but not for my brother. Come what may, I feel better by telling you the truth."

"It seems to me," Neji said carefully, "that the only person you are cheating is Hinata-sama, but even then it is for the sake of the clan and not for any personal reason."

Hiashi nodded for him to continue. "And if you decide to make Hanabi-sama your heir, then you must do it in the next few years before Hinata-sama comes of the age to be married. There can be no question about your succession since Hinata-sama will most likely bear a child before Hanabi-sama," Neji said.

"Those are wise words," Hiashi said after a pause. "I will take it into consideration. Thank you for listening to my problems. You have grown into a fine young man."

Neji stood and bowed to his uncle. "And if I may say, I am not angry that you would defy tradition in order to maintain the integrity of the clan. Quite the opposite, I admire your willingness to do so." He turned to leave the room.

Hiashi spoke before he reached the door. "I have toyed with the idea of altering the nature of the branch house juin," the older man said.

Neji froze, and Hiashi spoke again with a heavy voice, "I am forever sorry I ever used the seal on my brother."

A thousand retorts came to Neji's lips, but instead he forced his legs to continue walking out of the room. Regardless of the progress he and his uncle had made in bridging the years of resentment, he would never be able to forgive his uncle for threatening his father with the juin. Just as he would never forgive himself for trying to kill Hinata.

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Later that day, Neji stood leaning on the wall outside the hospital. He had hoped to find Sakura so that he could thank her for healing him the other night. He could see her inside the building with his Byakugan, but he loathed having to actually go inside.

Finally, she emerged. She was running her hands through her pink hair when she noticed him and did a double take. "Neji?" she said with surprise, walking over to him.

Neji suddenly felt self-conscious in his new clothing. It was definitely not an emotion he was used to. He looked down at himself and then back at her. "I needed a new shirt," he said lamely.

She gave him a head to toe glance, not even pretending to be subtle. "I like it," she said with a cheeky grin.

"You're not going to tell me it looks like I'm wearing a skirt?" Neji asked with an eyebrow raised.

Sakura reassessed him. "Maybe if you didn't have such absolutely confident posture," she mused. "You give the impression that anyone who makes a comment would soon be able to see up said skirt after his head had been lopped off."

"So it does, but you're too scared to tell me," Neji clarified with a roll of his eyes.

Sakura punched him in the arm before grabbing his hand and tugging him towards the street. "I think it looks very good on you, Neji," she said softly. He could see her cheeks blush lightly, and without thinking he pulled her close and kissed her on the forehead. She blushed harder, and to Neji's dismay he felt heat beginning to creep up his neck. This whole 'relationship' thing would take some getting used to, it seemed.

"Let me treat you to dinner," he said, clearing his throat. "You pick where."

She smiled up at him, and all thoughts of clothing and clans were gone.


	17. 15: Redress

Chapter 15

(AN) Thanks again for all the great reviews! I'm absolutely tickled that people are enjoying this story. Please keep reviewing and don't be shy with any criticism or suggestions or requests.

Here's a short and sweet chapter - I'll post something longer this weekend. (/AN)

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"Girls, we are going SHOPPING," Ino crowed.

Sakura cast a worried glance towards Tenten, who just shrugged.

"I could use a new outfit," the weapons master said, plucking at her faded pink shirt.

Sakura looked down at her own red dress and realized that the seams were looking a little stressed. "I guess I'm getting too big for my clothes, too," she conceded.

"There's no way I'm wearing those uniform vests, and I am _done_ with these Genin clothes!" Ino announced. "Which means we need to shop!"

It was less than a week since Hinata, Chouji, and Ino had passed the Chuunin Exam and almost a year since Sakura passed her's. Ino had been a complete demon for the past 6 months since being told that the summer exam was canceled because of the border skirmishes.

By mid-afternoon, Sakura was exhausted. Tenten had decided on a pair of comfy uniform pants that fit like hakama at the waist. Sakura wanted to get a pair, too, but Ino had picked out a short skirt with zippers and buckles for her. She finally gave in when Ino pointed out that she'd be wearing her usual shorts underneath anyway. Ino herself got a similar skirt but in black.

Finding the perfect tops had been more difficult. Ino kept trying on these skimpy halters that Sakura thought were mildly scandalous. Tenten pointed out that she'd be falling out half the time, and Ino settled for a sleeveless top that buttoned to the neck but exposed her midriff. Sakura found a sleeveless top as well, and Tenten picked out a Chinese-style shirt with shoulder frogs.

Ino raised her eyebrows when Sakura tried on a pair of knee high open-toed boots but flashed her a thumbs up when Sakura got up to test them out. Tenten found a pair of sandals with low heels like the Hokage's, and Ino sadly bought a new pair of standard sandals after spending too much money on mesh.

The girls were chatting happily as they walked out of the shoe store and started off towards the tea house. Sakura paused when she saw Neji standing half a block down the street with his arms folded, watching her.

As they approached the frowning Jounin, Sakura stepped forward. "Is everything ok, Neji-"

With one quick motion, Neji grabbed Sakura and threw her over his shoulder.

"Neji!" Sakura squawked.

"Good day, ladies," Neji said with a nod as he continued on his way past a bug-eyed Ino and a scandalized Tenten.

"I'll catch up with you later!" Sakura called over Neji's shoulder, waving to her friends as Neji jumped up onto the roofs.

"Ok, this is where you tell me what the hell you think you're doing before I pound you into the ground," Sakura said with an overly cheerful voice.

"Stop squirming," was Neji's reply.

"I can't help it, you're shoulder is poking into my tummy," she said, wiggling around.

He hefted her once and got a new grip. Sakura suddenly realized that given her new outfit, Neji had his arm around the back of her bare thighs to keep her from slipping.

"I thought you were going to pound me into the ground," he said, and Sakura could hear the grin.

"I kind of like being kidnapped," she replied cheekily.

Neji turned off into the forest and tossed Sakura down at the base of a big oak tree.

"Ow!" she complained, rubbing her butt and looking up at the frowning Jounin.

"Is that what you plan on wearing all the time now?" he asked after taking in her new outfit.

"It is," Sakura replied defensively. "If you can change your clothes, so can I."

Neji sighed and squatted in front of her. "Do you know what you do to me?" he asked seriously.

"If you don't like it…" Sakura said, faltering.

Neji just shook his head and kissed her suddenly. Sakura was surprised by the intensity of his kiss and found herself pinned against the tree.

"Do you realize that I won't be able to concentrate if you wear that?" he asked huskily after a few minutes. He was bracing himself with an arm on either side of her shoulders, his hitai-ate touching her forehead.

Inner Sakura took control of her mouth for a moment. "Would you rather I take it off?"

Neji only growled and kissed her again, and Sakura wondered at how nice it was getting into trouble.


	18. 15:2: Ringing In

Chapter 15.2

(AN) The holiday season inspired me to write this chapter. It takes place a few weeks after Chapter 15, and rather than shuffling around my chapter numbers, I decided to just fractionate them. If the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya can defy chronology, so can I!

Also, I updated Chapter 16 to include a short scene the next morning (as of 12/29/06). I hope you enjoy the addition!

Akemashite omedeto gozaimasu! (/AN)

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The first deep tolling of the main temple's bell roused Sakura from where she was dozing on her bed with a book on her lap. She immediately sprang to her feet, grabbed a small backpack, and jumped lightly out her window into the dark night. Halfway to the top of the Hokage monument, she met up with Ino and Tenten amidst the rich resonating of the temple bells.

"Happy New Year!" the girls cheered in greeting.

When they finally reached the top of the Shodai, they saw that they weren't the first to arrive.

"Happy New Year!" the three new arrivals called out together.

Most of the other graduates from Sakura's class were there, as well as many of the kids who had only recently graduated or graduated before her. Hinata looked up from where she was playing with Akamaru and waved to her friends.

The girls spread out their blankets and settled in for a night of games and gossip. Chouji came over immediately when Ino pulled out a plate of cookies, and Kiba joined them with a deck of cards. Shikamaru followed Chouji, but soon became interested in the card game.

Later on, someone near the Nidaime produced a flute and a small drum, and people were dancing around wildly. Sakura scanned the crowd for the hundredth time before giving in with a sigh and turning to Hinata. "Neji didn't want to join us tonight?"

Hinata's face flushed more than usual, and she immediately began fidgeting. "Neji-nii-san is busy tonight."

"But the Hokage gave everyone three days off," Sakura pointed out.

"Family business, you see," Hinata stammered. "Excuse me, I'll make more tea for us."

Sakura blinked at the retreating back of her friend and was surprised when Kiba sat down beside her.

"Hinata-chan is too embarrassed to tell you the truth," Kiba said with a pointy grin. "This is a sensitive time of the year for the Hyuuga clan, and there is a 24-hour watch on all main house members."

"Who are the guards?" Sakura asked, fascinated by this peek into the mysterious Hyuuga family.

Kiba looked at her like she was stupid. "The branch house members, of course."

Sakura finally understood the big picture. She looked around to see if she could see which members from the branch house were with Hinata.

Kiba scoffed again. "You won't see them. They try to remain discreet so as not to interfere with the main house's affairs."

Before Sakura could probe deeper, Hinata returned with a thermos of hot tea and a few cups. "I'm sorry, Sakura," Hinata said softly.

"For what?" Sakura asked as she took the steaming cup from her friend and passed it to Kiba.

"Because Neji-nii-san could not be here tonight with you," Hinata responded with her eyes downcast.

"Please, Hinata, it's not your fault," Sakura said with a genuine smile. "If there's one thing a shinobi can understand, it's duty."

Hinata smiled, but she still did not look up. The crowd was growing sleepy, as judged by the volume of noise produced, and soon the sky finally began to lighten. Sakura tugged on Hinata's arm and the two girls made their way towards the edge of the cliff where Ino and Tenten had fallen asleep next to Lee. Sakura nudged them aside so she could sit down, and Hinata went over to where Akamaru was snoring and twitching.

Sakura rubbed her arms in the pre-dawn chill and wished everyone wasn't sitting on her blanket so she could wrap it around herself. Maybe the new sleeveless shirt wasn't the best idea. And maybe Tenten was on to something with the pants she wore. Actually, Hinata was the smartest with her snuggly sweatshirt.

A bundle of cloth dropped over her head and obscured her vision. She tried to pull it off, but it covered her arms as well and prevented her from flailing. Suddenly, her head popped back out into the chilly air and she realized the cloth was a shirt. She poked her arms through the sleeves as Neji hugged her from behind. "You looked cold," he whispered in her ear.

Sakura didn't realize how bad she had hoped to see Neji until he had spoken in her ear, and she felt the bubble of disappointment loosen in her chest. "Won't you be cold?" she asked as she turned halfway to see him. Neji was wearing a black sleeveless shirt with a high collar and black hakama. Wires from a radio transmitter hung around his neck. The shirt he had wrapped around her was also black and tied at the side.

"I'll be fine, I'm moving around a lot," he replied, nuzzling his nose into her neck. He wasn't usually this affectionate where other people could see, and she felt her face flush.

"Will you be going down to the temple this morning?" she asked hopefully.

"No, I have other business to attend to," he said, pulling away. "I'm sorry I couldn't be with you. I'll try to find you later today, but for now I just wanted to say Happy New Year." He kissed her sweetly on the lips, clipped the radio back into place, and then disappeared. She could still feel the heat of his palm on her cheek, and she surreptitiously sniffed at his shirt and tried not to grin like a dope. The cloth still radiated with his warmth.

Sakura turned back around and saw that the sun had just broken over the horizon. She woke up Ino and Tenten so they could see the first sunrise of the new year. "Make a wish!" Ino said while scrunching up her face in deep thought.

'I wish things would always be like this,' Sakura thought to herself.

'Yes, but there's still something we need to do,' Inner Sakura reprimanded, and Sakura immediately felt guilty. She tried to envision where Naruto and Sasuke were right then. Were they watching the sun rise as well? Had they changed much in the two years they've all been apart? Did they think of her as much as she thought of them?

'I wish that for next year's sunrise, everyone I love will be with me,' Sakura amended. Inner Sakura hummed her agreement.

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After the sleepy teenagers trudged back from the Hokage monument, Sakura went home to change into her kimono. She folded Neji's shirt carefully, but buried her nose in it one last time before leaving her room. As usual, she and her parents set off early that morning to the main temple in Konoha. The streets were crowded, but Sakura found it charming to be moving along in the stream of common villagers instead of aloof on the rooftops.

They passed under the large gate with its giant red paper lantern and stopped to dip water from the fountain to wash their hands. The water pouring from the bronze dragon heads was clear and cold, and Sakura shivered as she replaced the copper ladle. It took another ten minutes before the crowd had moved enough for them to light a stick of incense, place it in the bronze burner, and fan the smoke around their bodies.

As they slowly inched closer to the temple, Sakura scanned the crowd for familiar faces. She got a better view once they reached the steps but still didn't recognize anyone. She told herself to stop being so silly. Neji had flat out told her that he wouldn't be there today.

As she neared the entrance to the temple, she could hear the monks chanting inside. The occasional gong would ring through the air and emphasize the rhythmic syllables.

Finally, it was her turn. She dug a few coins from amidst the shuriken and kunai in her handbag, and she tossed them in the slotted box in front of the temple. She bowed twice, clapped loudly, and then bowed again. 'Please bring my friends back to me,' she prayed silently to whichever gods might be listening.

'Hell, just give me the strength, and I'll do it myself!' Inner Sakura added.

As she and her parents descended the stairs, Sakura thought she caught a glimpse of messy silver hair streaking across the buildings in the distance. "I have a few gifts to give today, but I'll be home this afternoon," she told her parents before turning off down a side alley.

When no one was looking, she awkwardly jumped up the fire escape to the roof and set off in pursuit of her sensei with her geta clopping loudly over the curved tiles. He wasn't in sight anymore, but from his orientation, Sakura felt pretty confident she knew where he was going.

She paused once she reached the clearing where Team 7 had their first test with Kakashi. Sure enough, her sensei was standing in front of the monument to fallen shinobi. A small pile of flowers lay in a heap in front of the inscription. There were a few other ninja milling around, but everyone spoke in hushed voices that matched the somber atmosphere.

She waited by the posts until Kakashi finally turned and walked towards her. "Happy New Year, Kakashi-sensei," she said quietly, but with a smile.

"Happy New Year, Sakura-chan," Kakashi replied. "I'm sorry I haven't had much time to see you this past year."

"Don't apologize," Sakura said with a wave. "Tsunade-shishou has been keeping me plenty busy, and it's more important you complete missions. I am glad you made it back to the village for the holiday, though." She handed him a small wrapped box. "Since you were gone during Christmas, I thought I'd give you your gift today. The black vial is a nasty poison I came across in a book. The white is an antidote that nullifies the poison for at least twelve hours."

"What a sweet gift," Kakashi said with a big smile. "But I don't know if you're telling me to drop dead or wait until later so you don't have to clean up my body." Sakura stuck out her tongue.

"At least I put it in a vial and not straight into your face, so don't be ungrateful!" she said, raising a fist.

"My, my, your hand looks quite bare," he said. He pulled out a small box and fended off his advancing student. "Here, try these."

Sakura lowered her fist and accepted the gift. Inside the box was a pair of sleek black gloves. She tried one on and it fit perfectly. "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei!"

"We can't have your pretty little hands getting scratched up now, can we?" His eye crinkled in another grin and he disappeared before Sakura's newly gloved fist could put a hole in his chest.

She heard someone chuckle behind her. Looking up, she saw Neji walking towards her with an amused look on his face. "I thought it's bad luck to be destructive on New Years Day," he smirked as he leaned on the wooden post. He was still wearing his black outfit, but he no longer had a radio wired to his neck. He had a small bouquet of flowers, but he did not give them to her.

Sakura extricated her fist from the hole she had just punched in the post and decided to change the subject. "I was just talking to Kakashi-sensei. Look at these gloves he got me!" She held out her hand.

"Are they so you don't break a nail?" he asked with a straight face.

"That's it!" Sakura said, throwing down the box and pulling on the second glove. She took a few punches, minus the chakra of course, before he ducked close and kissed her.

"Wait here a moment?" he asked as if she wasn't trying to take off his head.

He walked over towards the monument and bent to light a stick of incense from one of the several candles placed in holders. He bowed deeply to the monument before adding the incense to the others clustered in the ground.

After a few minutes, he returned to where she waited. "Do you know someone on the monument?" she asked.

He tilted his head and looked at her. "My father."

"Oh," Sakura said, wishing she could take back the question. She hated when she asked stupid questions before thinking.

"Are you free right now?" he asked, still peering at her. She nodded. "Come with me, then. There's someone I'd like you to meet," he said as he took her hand and began leading her back towards the Hokage monument.

Before they reached the stairs leading to the top where they had all been only hours before, Neji led her south along the cliff face. Soon they arrived at one of the several small cemeteries in the village. Despite being carved into the base of the cliff, there were still many trees along the terraces.

They climbed up the stairs, past clusters of stone statues, and onto a path where all the tombstones bore the name 'Hyuuga'. Sakura smiled sadly at the small Jizo statues adorned with children's bibs and hats and prayed that the articles were given in thanks and not in mourning.

In this section, the gravestones were all made from polished gray granite and were spaced evenly down the cobbled walkway. Sakura noticed that the larger tombs tended to be clustered around a weathered statue of a man in monks' robes. A small mausoleum stood surrounded by stone fence posts.

Finally, Neji stopped in front of a modest-sized gray tomb beneath a maple tree and knelt to bow respectfully. Sakura did likewise next to him. "Chichi-ue, Haha-ue, this is Haruno Sakura," he said to the graves.

"Nice to meet you," Sakura said softly, bowing her head again.

"Chichi-ue was… died on this day," he whispered. Sakura told herself she wouldn't cry. What a way to begin every new year.

Neji stood up and walked to one of the storage sheds where he began filling a bucket with water from a spigot. Sakura followed and took out a broom made from bunches of straw. She set to work sweeping the cobblestone path while Neji used a soft cloth to wipe the grime from the tombstones. He placed fresh flowers in the holders on either side of the central column, lit a few sticks of incense, and knelt again in front of his parents.

Sakura idly picked up stones from the walkway and stacked them next to a small statue of a fat man sitting cross-legged. Finally, Neji stood up from where he was kneeling and bowed one last time. Sakura came to stand next to him.

"Thank you for coming," he said, and the sincerity in his voice put a lump in her throat. She smiled back because she feared she had no appropriate words.

When they had reached the entrance to the cemetery, Sakura finally broke the silence. "Does this have anything to do with why Hinata has a bodyguard?"

Neji nodded. "It's hard to believe it's been twelve years already. The first kidnapping attempt was three days after Hinata-sama's third birthday. That's when the Kumo ninja was caught and killed by Hiashi-sama."

Sakura nodded. She had heard this part of the story before.

"We believe their intent was to use the crowds and celebrations to smuggle her body out of Konoha. Another botched attempt was made a couple years later by a different group, but with the same idea of utilizing the chaos of the holidays," he said matter-of-factly. "Now we always keep watch."

"I really admire how you take care of Hinata and Hanabi-san," Sakura said.

"It is my duty," Neji said with a wry smile.

"You didn't have to ask me to help Hinata learn medical jutsu," Sakura pointed out.

Neji looked a bit embarrassed. "I have to admit, that wasn't entirely altruistic. It's in the best interest of the branch house to have happy main house family members."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"Well, for a while Hinata-sama was showing signs of extreme depression and instability. How much longer until she decided to end it all and take the whole clan with her? Uchiha Itachi managed to do it since he was the best ninja Konoha had seen in years. Hyuuga Hinata is not quite so talented, but could produce the same result with only a hand seal."

"Hinata would never do such a thing!" Sakura protested.

"I know that," Neji said with a sigh. "But it doesn't help you sleep any better when you know you could be killed in an instant if one of the head family members has a bad dream and twitches her fingers the wrong way."

Sakura felt her eyes sting as she envisioned Neji falling over in front of her with no explanation or reason. He embraced her and kissed her ear. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told you all that," he whispered.

"No, I want you to tell me," she said fervently. "I want to know what you're thinking and what you're feeling." She pushed his hitai-ate aside and stood on her toes so she could kiss the juin. "We will find a way to remove that thing," she swore.

"I've finally stopped fighting against it," he said with a wan smile. "Let's just get Hanabi-sama through adolescence and everything will be fine."

Sakura laughed softly into his neck. "How does lunch sound?" she asked. "I haven't eaten since before sunrise."

"Sounds perfect," he said, and they turned to walk back towards town. She noticed Neji glance back over his shoulder at the cemetery, and she squeezed his hand. His smile made her insides turn to jelly, and Inner Sakura came out punching.

'Whatever this new year has in store, bring it on! I'll kick its ass! Shannaro!' she howled.

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(AN) Just a note to let you know that 'Chichi-ue' is a traditional, very formal way of addressing one's father, and I didn't want to change it to just 'Father' because I felt it loses a lot of the meaning. Also, I'm working under the assumption that Neji's mother died before his father did, since he was left alone after his father died. (/AN)


	19. 15:5: Icha Icha Recollect

Chapter 15.5

(AN) This short scene occurs sometime between Chapter 15.2 (New Years) and Chapter 16 (Suna Mission).

I'm waiting to see how the current manga situation pans out before adding another Arc 2 story. I want to find out if Team Gai was part of Nijuu Shotai.

Meanwhile, here's a shameless plug for another story I wrote over the holiday break entitled _With the Help of a Fool_. At the very least make sure you read Chapter 5 when it comes out. You won't regret it! (/AN)

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Sakura hesitated in the alley next to Kakashi's apartment. She dared not use the roof tops where any ninja might spot her.

That morning, she had overheard Kakashi being briefed for his next mission, and she knew he wouldn't be back for two more days at the earliest. This was the perfect opportunity.

Taking a deep breath, she jumped up to his windowsill, unlatched the lock, and quickly slipped inside. She stood in the living room for several minutes to see if anyone had seen her and was coming to investigate. If anyone asked, she would say that she was watering the plants.

The apartment was small but efficient. There was a kitchen attached to a cozy living room with a low table and a couch. A small hallway led to the bathroom and presumably to the bedroom.

Not finding the object of her mission in the living room, she hesitantly opened the door to the bedroom and peered inside. Her heart was pounding loudly and the hair on her neck bristled with anticipation.

Her sensei was as silent as a shadow. He could appear beside her at any moment and Sakura would never sense him coming. She remembered the few times she had ever seen Kakashi angry, and her heart fluttered to think it might be directed at her.

Sakura scanned the room quickly and brightened when she saw her prize sitting on the shelf near the bed. She reached for the orange book when something caught her eye.

It was a picture of Team 7 taken shortly after they had officially become Genin. She couldn't stop the lump from forming in her throat as she looked at her team, still innocent and unbroken. Naruto was glaring at Sasuke, who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there. Her fingers brushed over Sasuke's face.

She still had long hair in this picture, and she could remember the happiness and hope that had filled her on that day. 'Damnit,' she scolded herself, 'I thought I had gotten over this already.'

Wiping her cheeks, she looked at the picture sitting beside Team 7. Immediately she recognized the Yondaime, and the boy wearing a mask was obviously her sensei.

She smiled to see how similar his appearance was, but the smile abruptly slid from her face when she noticed that both of his scowling eyes were coal black. The other boy on the team wore goggles, and the cute girl in the center looked as happy as young Sakura did. She could only wonder at the two teammates with Kakashi. Given what she knew about her sensei, both had died already. Would Team 7 end up like the Yondaime's team? Suddenly Sakura's mission didn't seem as fun and exciting.

She took the little orange book from the shelf and placed it in her pouch before leaving the apartment the way she entered.

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(AN) Has anyone else's email been wonky? I haven't received any update/review/alert emails from FFnet in a few weeks. (/AN)


	20. 16: Return from Suna

Chapter 16

(AN) This story was intended to be about Neji and Sakura getting together, and I don't have it in me to write much more angst. I just needed enough doubt and drama to keep my options open.

Here I jump to after Naruto returns. I plan on going back and filling in more chapters during the timeskip, but for now I'd also like to move on a little. This takes place after the Suna mission around chapter 281.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! And thank you, as always, for reading. (/AN)

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Sakura blanched visibly when Gai hoisted Kakashi onto his back. It looked… wrong. She shuddered when Gai began running with her poor sensei flopping about weakly.

Her revulsion quickly changed to laughter when she saw Lee trying to convince Neji to jump on his back.

"Absolutely not!" Neji protested.

"You can carry me," Tenten offered as she pounced onto Lee's back and rested herself comfortably with her elbows on his shoulders.

"Gai-sensei, here we come!" Lee shouted as he took off at full speed.

"Hey, that's the only way to travel," Sakura said with a big grin. She hopped onto Neji's back and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Naruto looked surprised. Before he could complain, however, Sakura made a few seals and shouted, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" and a clone appeared on Naruto's back. The sudden weight toppled him backwards, and the Sakura clone screeched in indignation at being squished.

"Baka, get moving!" the clone hollered as she dug her heels into Naruto's hips.

"Oi, Sakura-chan!" Naruto whined as he took off running after Lee.

"Boy, that one's a bitch," Sakura mused from behind Neji.

Neji chuckled, and Sakura hugged him tighter. "I'm glad you were sent to help us," she said sincerely.

"I'm glad you're alright," he replied softly. "You'll have to tell me about what happened in the cave."

"It's a long story," Sakura said sadly. Chiyo's death still weighed heavily on her mind.

"Take your time," Neji told her. "We have three days until we reach Konoha." He set off at a smooth jog so as not to jostle his rider while she filled him in on all she had seen and learned.

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Neji and Sakura didn't catch up to the rest of the group until nearly midnight. By that time, they were walking side by side as they entered the small camp.

"I beat you by four hours, my eternal rival!" Lee crowed as he posed in front of the newly arrived ninja.

"Looks like you did, Lee. Congratulations," Neji said distractedly. His mind was still processing everything that Sakura had told him.

"Could it be? You were purposefully slow in order to spend more time alone with this flower of beauty?" Lee's face contorted with defeat. "You have truly won this match!"

Sakura quickly turned away as Lee sought out comfort from Gai and searched for her own sensei. Kakashi had been tucked into a sleeping bag a short distance from the fire. Sakura checked all his vitals and confirmed that he was stable, though still suffering from extreme exhaustion. Her fingers twitched towards his mask, but in his weakened state there was no satisfaction or dignity in finally getting a glimpse of his face. She smoothed the blanket over him and was about to stand up when a firm hand clamped over her wrist.

"Sakura… chan…," Kakashi croaked out.

"Here, drink some water," Sakura said, pulling out her flask. Maybe she would get a peek under the mask anyway, but to her disappointment Kakashi pushed it away feebly.

"Sakura-chan, please…," Kakashi said hoarsely. "Don't let him carry me… like that. Please, Sakura…"

Sakura sat back on her heels and laughed. "I'll do my best, Kakashi-sensei," she promised. The grip on her wrist loosened, and she tucked his arm back into the blanket as he fell back asleep.

"What he did today was incredible," a voice said softly behind her.

Sometimes it unnerved her how silently Neji could sneak up on her. "Kakashi-sensei is amazing," Sakura agreed. She stood up and smiled at the sleeping figure.

"Let's get you something to eat," he said, placing a hand on the small of her back and guiding her around the fire.

After their small dinner, Sakura used a simple Suiton jutsu to refill everyone's water flask for washing. She wondered at how all the Suna ninja could stand constantly being covered with sand. It was in her ears, in her boots, in her pouches. There was no immediate danger to the group, so only Gai stayed awake as watch. He claimed he had no need for sleep - loudly and two feet from Kakashi - and then began a patrol outside the camp site.

A few hours later after the fire had long since gone to ash, Sakura was still staring at the stars and thinking about her battle against Sasori. Images and emotions were flashing together too quickly to allow her to sleep.

She tossed her blanket aside and stood up. Embarrassingly, she tripped over Naruto as she padded towards where Neji, Tenten, and Lee were sleeping, but the blond ninja never ceased his snoring.

Neji's eyes were already open when she knelt beside his sleeping bag. The starlight reflected in his questioning gaze, but he didn't say anything as he pulled back part of his blanket and scooted over to make room for her. Sakura quickly snuggled onto his shoulder and inhaled deeply. He had taken his shirt off to sleep, and he smelled faintly like pine soap. Under any other circumstance, she might have been embarrassed at her boldness.

"Couldn't sleep?" Neji asked softly as he kissed the top of her head and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders.

Nearby, Tenten rolled over in her sleep, but Sakura noticed that the roll took her away from her and Neji and into range of Lee's deafening snores.

Sakura shook her head at Neji's question and snuggled in closer, throwing one leg over his. Neji sighed, and Sakura looked up at his face. He had removed his hitai-ate before going to sleep, and the juin glimmered faintly. She supposed there was no one here he felt the need to hide his shame from.

"You really don't know what you do to me," he said mournfully. His left arm was curled around her body, and he reached up to stroke her hair with his right hand. "This is how my father once helped me to sleep. It was right after I had seen my uncle use the curse on my father, and I was having nightmares. Just listen to my voice as I count."

Sakura closed her eyes and tried to focus on Neji's heartbeat instead of the memory of Sasori's sword piercing through her stomach. The light tugging on her hair was soothing.

"Ninety-nine, focus on your breathing. Inhale deep, slowly. Ninety-eight, clear your mind and imagine your chakra moving through your body. Ninety-seven, feel it moving from your shoulders through your arms to your fingertips," Neji wasn't even sure what he was saying, but the point was to keep speaking in slow, even tones. His hand kept lightly running through her hair, and he could feel the tension slowly leaking from her body.

"Seventy-five, I have nothing left to babble about. Seventy-four, it doesn't matter because you're sleeping. Seventy-three…," he hesitated. "I think I love you," he whispered into her hair.

The cacophonous snores from Lee and Naruto grated against each other, and Neji stared at the sky and mulled over all the information Sakura had told him. Jinchuuriki and puppet masters and secret criminal organizations. Finally sleep overtook him just before sunrise.

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When Sakura awoke the next morning, the rest of the group must have moved on. The bedrolls were all gone, and the only traces of their presence were the remains of the campfire. She shifted to sit up but immediately felt something clamp down around her waist. Looking over her shoulder, she saw a mass of tousled brown hair.

"Neji, we should get going," she said, a bright red blush springing to her cheeks. Everyone must have seen them lying together and decided to let them sleep in. She kicked herself for being so careless. They had both agreed that during missions they would be absolutely neutral so that they could keep the trust of their teammates.

Neji's response was to pull her closer and mumble incoherently into her neck. She tried to pry his arm away. "The others have already left. We'll have to catch up," she rationalized.

"Everyone's gone?" he asked, his breath tickling the back of her ear. She nodded and tried to focus her willpower on getting up. He brushed her hair aside and kissed her neck. "What's the hurry then?" Willpower left with a wooshing noise and she closed her eyes.

He trailed his lips down the side of her throat as his hand tugged at the zipper of her shirt. He pushed her collar aside so he could continue his way to her shoulder before retracing the path with his tongue.

"Neji…," she said a bit more breathlessly than she would have liked. "The others…"

He answered by sliding her recently unzipped shirt from her shoulders and placing an arm across her stomach to pull her closer. She was still startled by how silky his skin felt against her back. She squirmed as he trailed his fingertips lightly up her ribs and arched her back with anticipation when he brushed the bottom…

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto bellowed. "Oi, Sakura-chan?!

Sakura snapped her eyes open and immediately felt disoriented. A hand reached out and latched on to her elbow. Before she could figure out where the hell she was, she had been dragged a short distance across the ground.

"Where's Sakura-chan?!" Naruto continued in a panic.

"Right here, Naruto," Tenten said. Sakura looked over her shoulder at the weapon master, who was yawning ostentatiously. Her hand still rested nonchalantly on Sakura's arm.

"Why is it so loud?" Neji asked grouchily as he sat up to glare at Naruto. His blanket fell around his waist, and Sakura was left staring at the well-muscled chest that had only moments ago been in delicious contact with her back. The memory sent her into a panic, and she clutched her arms in front of her chest only to realize she was wearing her shirt.

"Why is Sakura-chan over there?" Naruto asked with a fox-like pout.

"We were having some girl talk and fell asleep," Tenten replied smoothly. "Not that it's any business of yours."

"Sakura-san was sleeping with Tenten? Next to me?" Lee asked sleepily. Then, an image suddenly registered, and he turned around hastily to check his nose.

"I'm glad to see everyone is already awake and ready to embrace life!" Gai cheered as he appeared in the center of the camp in a puff of smoke.

With an audible group sigh, everyone set about breaking down camp and getting ready for another full day of travel. Sakura stole furtive glances at Neji as he pulled his shirt on and tied his hitai-ate in place. He sent a curt nod over Sakura's shoulder, and she turned to see Tenten looking downright gleeful.

"I've never had Neji owe me a favor," Tenten giggled. "Maybe I should save it up until I really need something," she mused, tapping her chin.

"Favor?" Sakura repeated, still trying to sort out the sensory overload.

"Looked like a favor to me. That is, unless you wanted to be caught by your sensei while in the sack with a half-naked guy," Tenten replied with an exaggerated wink before hopping up to boil some water for tea.

Sakura tried to splutter a response, but her eyes met Neji's, and she decided to go drown herself with a Suiton jutsu.

Despite her best intentions, she only washed her face and brushed her teeth before eating a few bites of dried fish and pulling on her pack. She didn't remember her promise until she saw Gai striding towards her cowering sensei. With a sigh, she removed her pack and handed it to Neji, who just silently threw it on his own back.

"Wait, Gai-sensei," Sakura called just in time. "I was hoping it would be my turn to train while carrying Kakashi-sensei." Gai looked like he was about to protest, so she added, "It would be an honor for me to help my sensei."

"What a noble flower of spring," Gai beamed as he stepped aside so Sakura could duck down and throw her sensei over her shoulder.

"You're my favorite student," Kakashi said, his voice full of relief.

"Hai, hai, sensei," Sakura replied as the group set off towards Konoha. "You owe me lunch for this."


	21. 17: Disillusioned Reunion

Chapter 17

(AN) I put the previous chapters in chronological order. They're still numbered and titled the same way, but now it will hopefully make more sense for new readers.

I decided to post this chapter even though we haven't seen what Team Gai has been up to during the recent manga events. As long as they don't come back and say 'Gee, we haven't been in Konoha for two weeks!' I think it'll work out OK. This update takes place around manga Chapter 319.

Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed this story! You make it all worthwhile! (/AN)

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Neji crouched stiffly on a rooftop just out of sight of Sakura's bedroom. He had been watching her toss and turn for hours through the open window without working up the nerve to approach her.

Their last meeting had not ended on the best of terms, and Neji was unsure of what to make of it. He had run into Sakura while she was on her way to meet her team before they departed for Grass Country. As they walked towards the gate, Sakura had briefly filled him in on the details of her new team member Sai, Danzo his superior, and Kakashi's replacement. Neji was extremely frustrated that she was being sent on an A-rank mission with an unknown captain, an equally unknown and slightly suspicious third member, and a Genin who had been absent for more than two years.

Sakura had argued that they would be fine, but Neji wasn't convinced. The mission involved Orochimaru _and_ Akatsuki. The Hokage should have sent an ANBU team, not this random assortment of ninja. Sakura, however, had taken his misgivings personally and accused Neji of thinking she was insufficient for the task at hand. He denied it of course, but by that time, each had dug their defensive heels in. He wanted to go along with them despite the unconventionality of having a 5 man team; Sakura became indignant that he thought she needed protection. Finally, Sakura had left to join her team and Neji could only walk away and find something to distract his attention. Time had been unusually and unmercifully slow since she had left.

Upon returning from her mission in Grass Country, Sakura seemed distracted as she dismissively brushed off his attempts to question her about what had happened. He was worried that she was still angry about their conversation, but there was something else preventing him from getting any sleep that night. Earlier that day, he had overheard Ino and Tenten talking about how Sakura and Naruto had found Sasuke, and it gnawed at his gut that Sakura was avoiding him now.

He peered around the corner towards Sakura's window and saw her sitting up in bed. He could tell by her posture that she was crying, and he was once again assaulted by indecision.

He leaned his head back and stared up at the moon as if he could find his answer somewhere in the stars, but Sakura made the decision for him. "You might as well come in instead of sitting out there all night," she called softly.

Neji responded a bit faster than he would have liked and appeared squatting on her windowsill. The moonlight streaming over his shoulder was bright enough that he could see she had in fact been crying. His hand began moving towards her damp cheek before he could restrain his impulse to brush away the tear streaks. He had a hundred questions to ask her: What did you see? Did you find _him_? Do you still love _him_? How can I compete with an obsession? Instead he waited silently.

She hadn't looked at Neji yet, even when she had called to him. Instead she stared at her lap, or more specifically, at a picture of Team 7 on her lap. Neji felt another surge of what he refused to call jealousy.

She opened her mouth as if to speak, but instead a choked sob wrenched from her throat. Neji waited a moment before slipping his sandals off and gently lowering himself to sit on her bed with his back against the windowsill. The warm night air washed over them as he waited.

Finally, the crying subsided enough for her to speak, though her clenched fingers never relaxed from the picture frame. "Why can I never be good enough?" she whispered.

Neji knew he wasn't supposed to respond despite her pleading tone.

"I was actually beginning to think that maybe studying with Tsunade-shishou had made me a stronger person. That when it came time to save the people I care about, I would finally have power over the situation. That I could save…" her voice disappeared again into soft sobs.

"Will you tell me what happened?" Neji asked softly when she finally regained control of herself.

She took a few more deep breaths before raising her puffy gaze to look at him. Neji felt the pain in her eyes like someone had stabbed him in the chest. He again resisted the urge to touch her, to gather her onto his lap.

"We found Sasuke-kun," she said softly. "He… he tried to kill Naruto. And there wasn't anything I could do. Not a god damned thing."

Neji thought she was about to start crying again, but instead she hurled the picture across the room. The glass shattered against the wall, and part of the frame broke off in pieces. "All these years we've been thinking about how to save Sasuke-kun, and he tried to _kill_ us! We thought he didn't realize how he'd be used by Orochimaru, but he knows and he _wants_ to be used!"

Her outrage was short lived, and she deflated again. "I'm so stupid," she sighed. "I worked so hard… I'm so stupid."

"So everything you've done these past few years was for that Uchiha, and now you regret it all?" Neji asked quietly.

"No," Sakura replied dully, conceding to his point. "But I had hoped that I would finally be able to accomplish something. Finally make a difference."

"If the only measure of your worth is by the actions of a traitor, then I don't think there's anything else I can say to make you feel better," Neji said after a pause.

"He's not a traitor!" she said sharply.

Neji just held his hands up defensively.

"It's not just about Sasuke-kun," she said sullenly. "I was worthless in the fight against Orochimaru, too. I hit my head and was knocked unconscious, and Yamato-taichou had to save me. Naruto nearly lost control of the demon chakra, and I could only watch it happen. I feel like for every step I take forward, everyone else has taken three. I am always the one left behind. Even now, Naruto is out doing some crazy training scheme that Kakashi-sensei put together. As soon as we returned from our mission, I was dismissed to play with my dolls while the _men_ went out to do the real work."

'Ah,' thought Neji as a bitter smile twisted Sakura's lips. 'This is the real source of tonight's problem.' This time, Neji did pull her onto his lap. She resisted at first, but his hands were firm, and she finally gave in and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I bet Kakashi's training has something to do with Naruto and the Kyuubi," Neji told her. "If Naruto gets more consideration and more attention, it's because of the demon inside him. Personally, I'm glad you lack that feature, and if it puts you lower on the village's priority list, so be it. At least there isn't a group of S-rank missing nin who want to catch and kill you."

"He does have unusual circumstances," Sakura sighed. "I wish I had known about the Kyuubi all along. I wish I had treated him better when we were younger."

"Maybe you should stop punching him through trees then?" Neji joked lightly.

"Someone has to keep him in line!" Sakura replied indignantly with a sniffle.

They sat in silence for several minutes before Sakura spoke again. "Isn't it strange to think that I was with my team for barely a year before we split up? Why do I let it still get to me? We've been apart twice as long as we were together, and yet a part of me still says that we can save Sasuke-kun. Even though he tried to kill Naruto, I want to save him. God I'm so stupid." She shook her head sadly. "We don't even know what we're saving him _from_."

Neji chafed a bit that Sakura still cared so much about that Uchiha, but he wondered inwardly how far he would go for Tenten and Lee. Probably further than he suspected. "We build relationships with our teammates through life or death situations, and we begin at a young age. Of course it would leave a deep impression," he told her. "Saving each others' lives builds strong bonds."

"I don't think I was ever so useful," Sakura said with a small snort of derision.

"What would Chiyo-sama say?" Neji replied softly.

Sakura exhaled slowly but didn't say anything.

"Don't forget that your new strength helped you and Chiyo-sama defeat a member of Akatsuki," he said. He hoped she could hear the pride in his voice.

"Thank you, Neji," Sakura whispered before growing silent again. Eventually her breathing slowed to an even pace, and Neji began to gently disentangle himself.

He paused when she stirred and whispered, "Please stay. Everyone leaves me. Please, stay for tonight."

He kissed the top of her head and waited until she was asleep before closing his own eyes and letting the soft sighs of her breathing lull him to sleep.


	22. 18: Mourning After

Chapter 18

(AN) This takes place roughly 5 days after Chapter 17: Disillusioned Reunion.

BIG++ spoiler for Chapter 330 and beyond (/AN)

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Neji had been surprised to hear about the death of Sarutobi Asuma, however funerals were relatively common in the shinobi world. It was all part of the job description. Neji wasn't very familiar with Asuma other than through Sakura's best friend, who was a student of the deceased. And so it was both out of respect for the Sandaime's son and concern for Sakura that Neji pulled the black shirt over his head and tied the white belt around his waist.

Passing under the red torii gate, Neji saw that a crowd had already gathered by the grave. He walked over to where Tenten and Lee were standing, but none of them spoke as they watched the procession. Surprisingly, this was the first Konoha funeral in several months. Usually they were much more frequent, though he supposed things had been relatively stable until Akatsuki entered the picture. He was worried that this would not be the last victim of the estranged organization.

He watched somberly as Kurenai knelt to lay flowers on the grave stone, and Neji allowed his gaze to drift to where Sakura stood partially hidden by Naruto. Surrounded by a sea of black clothing, her hair seemed even brighter than usual. She tilted her head to look at Naruto, and Neji caught a glimpse of her profile.

His mind began conjuring different scenarios, and for once he didn't immediately clear his thoughts and ignore the unpleasant emotions. What if it was him in the ground? Would Sakura be kneeling in Kurenai's place? Excited by its sudden freedom, his imagination began tumbling out of control. What if it was Sakura in the ground, and he was the one left behind to mourn? His chest constricted in sudden panic, and he berated himself internally for losing control. Tenten must have noticed his body tense because she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

At one time, he would have shaken her hand off in scorn and embarrassment. Now, however, his mind pictured Tenten being lowered into the ground while he and Lee and Gai looked on. The image further unbalanced his composure, and he reached his hand up to squeeze hers gently before letting his arm drop again.

What good were all these bonds that he had formed in the past couple of years? Ninja were supposed to be emotionless. Ninja did not have panic attacks at the thought of other ninja dying. It was all just part of life. In the end, they would all wind up like Kurenai in one way or another.

Breathing slowly, he reigned in his thoughts and forced his mind to focus on one thing at a time. He was nothing if not disciplined. The funeral had come to an end, and the guests were beginning to mill around. He gave Lee and Tenten a brief nod before they drifted away, but he stayed and watched as Sakura offered her condolences to Konohamaru, who seemed oblivious to her presence. She and Naruto exchanged glances before Naruto put his arm around the younger boy and began to lead him back towards the gate.

Turning from her teammate, Sakura took a few steps towards where Ino and Chouji stood near the front of the crowd. Neji noted that Shikamaru had missed the entire ceremony, which was a surprise because he had always seemed the closest to Asuma. Sakura hesitated awkwardly as Ino buried her face in Chouji's shirt to stifle her sobs. Chouji's large hands rested protectively on the blonde's shoulders, and tears traced paths across the spirals on his cheeks.

It seemed Sakura didn't want to disturb their grief because she turned away and looked around uncomfortably. Neji followed her gaze to where Kakashi and Gai stood with Kurenai and a few other Jounin. Finally she noticed Neji standing alone in the thinning crowd. He felt a bit like a last resort as she turned to walk over to where he stood.

Neji noted that her eyes were dry, though she seemed tired and depressed. She stopped several feet in front of Neji and studied his face.

"Why does this time feel different?" she asked in a low voice.

Neji wasn't sure what she was talking about. "This time?" he asked.

"I was sad when Chiyo-baa-sama died. She was a great woman who saved my life. It felt like she was taken from me before I could get to know her as well as I would have liked. But Asuma-sensei…," she trailed off and dropped her eyes to study her feet.

"Asuma-sensei is easier to relate to," Neji said, thinking about how Kurenai had set off a chain reaction in his imagination. The old man at Chiyo-sama's funeral had failed to evoke those kinds of emotions in Neji.

Sakura nodded. "If any number of things had gone differently while we were in Wind Country or Grass Country…," she said in a wavering voice. She crossed the distance between faster than Neji thought she could move, and her voice was muffled in his shirt. "I'm so sorry for getting angry at you before I left for our last mission. I understand now why you were so worried."

Neji instinctually raised his arms to hug her to his chest before his mind could tell him to stop. Perhaps he had made a mistake by letting himself form these relationships. His eyes fell on where Kurenai now knelt alone in front of the grave, and he watched as she stood to her feet and laid a hand protectively on her abdomen. To his shock, a small smile touched her lips, and he felt part of the wall he was building erode in his hands. That she could smile on a day like this...

Neji finished wrapping his arms around Sakura and threaded a hand through the hair at her neck. He could still feel grief clouding the edges of his mind, but he was back under control. Love and friendship for the young woman pressed against his chest also drifted along the outskirts of his thoughts, but for now his priorities were in order just as Sakura seemed to have her's. First and foremost, Neji was a Konoha shinobi.


	23. 19: Fading into the Future

Chapter 19: Fading into the Future

(AN) Thank you all for being so patient! I have two reasons for long delays between updates. One is that I work for a Naruto scanlation group, and we are pushing hard to get caught up, so much of my free time is spent cleaning manga pages. Second, like I said before, I'd like to let the manga get ahead of my story so I don't have to worry about inconsistencies later. For instance, now that I know Ino has more than just a passing ability to heal, I may go back and write a chapter about when she learned it during the timeskip.

Also, I'm not a huge fan of Kishimoto's Sakura. I like the Sakura that I created during the timeskip better :P My story may take on a different tone as it merges with the manga, but don't worry, it will all come together in the end one way or another!

Again, thank you to everyone who has reviewed and continues to read this story. Who knows where it will lead, ne? Since I have more time between updates, I will start trying to reply to reviews at the end of the chapter **or in my profile**.

!! **SPOILERS** !! through **Chapter 247** (/AN)

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Walking through the streets of Konoha, Neji trailed behind Lee and Tenten, who were chatting animatedly about the upcoming Chuunin Exam. His body was moving by instinct as he dodged pedestrians and avoided colliding with the merchant stalls on the side of the street, but in his mind he kept brooding over a certain kunoichi.

Since Naruto returned, Neji noticed a definite change in Sakura's demeanor. She was more cheerful and outgoing as if a cloud had finally evaporated, though to him she felt more… distant. While Neji understood that she was excited to finally have her old team back again, he couldn't help but feel like a crutch that was no longer needed. Sakura, however, seemed completely unaware of her new attitude.

It was common for Neji to find Sakura after work or during her lunch break from the hospital. It made sense for him to do the initiating because he could literally pick her out of a crowd from a mile away. Only recently did he begin to notice that she never sought _him_ out. Such a childish thing to dwell about, yet it was lodged in his mind like a burr.

Yesterday, he had caught up to Sakura as she was entering a sushi restaurant for lunch. She smiled and greeted him normally as if she hadn't just been on a mission to support the former Team 10 as they hunted down the Akatsuki that killed their sensei.

As they took their seats at the bar, Neji had asked her about how her mission went, even though the news was all over the village that Nara Shikamaru had taken out one Akatsuki member while Naruto had finished off a second. Neji had seen the calibur of these criminals, and he was deeply impressed.

Pulling a plate of ebi sushi off the conveyor belt, Sakura had launched into the details of the fight, though most of the information was second hand from Ino.

"As soon as we arrived where Kakashi-sensei was fighting, Sai and I were sent to find Shikamaru. When we got there, Shikamaru had already beaten the Akatsuki who had killed Asuma, so Sai and I missed out on the end of both battles," she had told him, sounding a bit disappointed. "I had really wanted to see Naruto's new jutsu, too."

Neji had only been mildly surprised that Shikamaru was able to defeat an S-Rank criminal single-handedly. He had seen what a brilliant mind Shikamaru possessed, and depending on the intelligence of his opponent, Shikamaru had a sizable advantage over even the most cunning ninja. He knew the death of Asuma was a considerable source of motivation as well.

Information regarding the other Akatsuki member was harder to obtain, so he gently steered the conversation towards that fight in particular. He refilled his cup of matcha and watched the plates slowly pass by as Sakura excitedly recounted how Naruto had used his shadow clones and his new jutsu to outsmart the second enemy. Staring into the green liquid steaming in his hands, he could hear Sakura's enthusiasm bubbling through her voice. She had never sounded like this in the three years since she had first come to train with his team.

"Since Kakashi-sensei had already killed him once, and Shikamaru's trap had killed him a second time, it was like Naruto killed the guy three times at once!" she gushed as she selected a plate of ika sushi.

Neji was surprised to hear the pride in her voice. Based on her reaction after meeting Sasuke two weeks ago, he would have expected her to be upset she wasn't able to contribute more. From the sound of it, Ino had done most of the field-based healing. Instead, she was on the border line of bragging that her team had arrived in time to save the day.

"So how is Naruto now?" Neji asked as she paused to take a sip of her tea.

"I was just visiting him," she said, swallowing quickly. "I was there all morning working on his arm, but there's not much we can do from a medical perspective." A concerned frown wrinkled her forehead. "I want to head back after lunch and see if I can do anything for the nerve endings he damaged. Shishou says it can't be healed, but it's Naruto we're talking about. Who knows what kind of effect the Kyuubi will have."

After wolfing down three more plates, Sakura bounced up from her seat and headed back to the hospital with a cheerful wave. Neji watched her duck under the noren with a strange feeling in his stomach. It was then that he realized that he had lost something precious.

The feeling stuck with Neji the rest of the day and into the sleepless night. She was so happy now. He should be glad she got her team back, and it was selfish for him to resent it. Can you blame someone for healing after an injury? Can you expect them to continue using a crutch long after the wound is gone? She was obviously ecstatic with the situation, so perhaps it was best for Neji to just silently let go. With a self-derisive smirk, he imagined the lump in his throat consisting mainly of his pride.

So much had happened in the short month since the mission to Suna: Sakura's mission to grass country with Sai and Yamato, the reappearance of Uchiha Sasuke, the two Akatsuki in Fire Country, and the death of Sarutobi Asuma. Just a month ago, Neji thought he had his world sorted out and under control. He had allowed himself to go so far as to fall in love, so it was his own damn fault for sticking his neck out. It was a bitter lesson, but there was nothing for it but to learn and move on.

He would not make a fuss. His pride preferred to nurse itself quietly. Given the current situation, he could just fade into the background and Sakura would never notice the absence. He stared at the moonlit ceiling and tried to convince himself that it would all be for the best in the end. No need to worry about ending up like Asuma and Kurenai if he could just let go...

Up ahead, there was a commotion, and Neji could hear voices shouting. His mind leaped back into the present as a gap in the crowd opened, and Neji could see Konohamaru and a clone in front of the Ichiraku. Lee and Tenten stopped and glanced over their shoulders at Neji as if asking what they should do, but he just shrugged back.

He was still unsure of what was going on when Naruto stepped out of the stand followed by the new Team Kakashi. Neji noted that Naruto's arm was still bandaged in a sling, but it looked like Konohamaru was going to challenge him anyway.

Before Neji could take two steps, the twin figures transformed into two naked women. Sakura had told him about Naruto's fondness for perverted jutsu, so he figured this must be the fabled Oiroke no Jutsu. He had just begun to register the girls' positions when Lee fell over backwards in a near faint.

All around the street, people were gasping and pointing. Tenten rolled her eyes and bent over Lee to slap him awake. When Neji glanced back at the scene in front of the ramen stand, he saw Sakura marching towards Konohamaru. He could barely hear their voices over the commotion, but she very clearly buried her fist in the younger boy's stomach. Neji winced in sympathy.

Sakura turned her glare on Naruto and didn't notice Konohamaru make a few hand seals. In a flash, there was another clone, and both figures transformed a yet again. This time…

Lee had just gotten back to his feet with a dazed look when Tenten let out a small squeal. There in the middle of the street were two men lying naked. And not just any men, but Uchiha Sasuke and Sai. The logical side of Neji's brain was pointing out that the young genin was unusually talented in transformations. The other side was watching Sakura's reaction, which was much more enthusiastic than Tenten's. Tenten merely had a small trail of drool trickling from the corner of her wide-open mouth.

The clone disappeared, and Sakura was left trying to recompose herself in front of a bemused Konohamaru. Neji, meanwhile, fought off a compelling urge to bury something sharp in Team Kakashi's newest member's head. He still did not trust Sai, and seeing Sakura react like that made him seethe. He shook his head and chastised himself for such uncontrolled emotions. Useless. He really had grown soft and undisciplined lately, he told himself, though his fingers still clenched and unclenched unconsciously.

Tenten had recovered from her surprise and delight and turned toward Neji with a concerned look. She didn't seem the least embarrassed as she wiped her mouth with the back of her glove. "We should probably go take care of Lee, ne?" she suggested gently, gesturing towards the green-clad figure trying to staunch his bleeding nose. Pushing Lee into a stumbling walk, Tenten put her hand on Neji's arm and steered him back the way they came.

Numbly, he let Tenten guide them through the crowd while his mind cranked furiously. Yes, he had grown too soft. It was all well and good while he was growing up, but he was a Jounin now. Perhaps he would join ANBU soon. He couldn't allow himself to get caught up in all these useless emotions. First the funeral, now this. With her new team, Sakura wouldn't even notice as he drifted away.

He absentmindedly reached up and took Tenten's hand from his arm. He gave it a small squeeze before pushing it away.

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Sakura's face felt like it would literally burst into flame. She waved her hands frantically at her teammates and flushed further at the knowing look on Konohamaru's face. She briefly toyed with the idea of inverting that smug grin into his head, but she decided that more violent denial would only make her look guiltier. She shot a glance at Kakashi to see if he showed any sign that he knew she had 'borrowed' his Ichaicha books.

Suddenly she became aware of the crowd surrounding their group in front of the ramen stand. She wasn't sure how she was still standing because surely all the blood in her body was currently located in her face and neck. Konohamaru had performed his stupid, perverted techniques in _public_!

Glancing around hastily, Sakura caught sight of Tenten walking away from the ring of onlookers. The brunetter turned, and Sakura could see the strange look in her brown eyes. Disapproving or disappointed, Sakura couldn't tell, because in a flash, the older girl was swallowed by the dispersing crowd. Wait… was Tenten alone? Sakura's mind was thrown further into panic and chaos until she realized Sai was standing at her side.

"Hag, we'll be left behind," he said with a damnable smile.

Sakura peered one more time at the spot where she had seen Tenten before turning and following her new teammate.

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rogue solus – Sorry about the spoiler! I will try to make my spoiler notes larger in the future.

Mistress DragonFlame – You have a good point, future chapters may start feeling more like fillers than like an epic story. I think this is because now I'm constrained by what happens in the manga, so I'm filling in around those events. Writing about the timeskip was great because I had 2.5 years to do whatever I liked with 

chaosdragon82 – Thank you for taking the time to leave your comments! I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I haven't included any scenes where Neji and Sakura really express their feelings because I've been trying to think of a way to do it that's not painfully sappy or too much of a cliché. It's the same reason I've avoided doing anything too lemony. There's plenty of cheesy writing out there, and I'm hoping to avoid that. Since I've decided to ignore chronology, I may go back and fill in some of those gaps, so please keep checking back!

KunoichiruleALL – Thank you so much for your enthusiasm! I'm sorry to take so long between updates now, but I'm waiting for the manga to really flesh itself out before catching up. 17 pages a week is painfully slow, ne? My next update will probably wait until we see more about what Sasuke is up to. Though I do want to go back and put in something about Ino's medical training…

zenia wulfe – I'm sorry for jumping around as much as I do, but like I just said, as new information becomes available, I go back and add more chapters. For instance, after seeing Ino use a hawk for scouting purposes, I wanted to do a chapter on how Ino learned that technique. I will try to label everything clearly so you can follow my time jumps.

To everyone who has enjoyed this story, thanks for leaving feedback. It really inspires me to continue writing!


	24. 20: Flying the Coop

Chapter 20: Flying the Coop

(AN) Three cheers for Team Gai appearing in Shippuden!

I'll save the rest of my notes for the end.

**++SPOILERS++** through chapter 354!

Update: This is the coolest thing to happen to me as an author so far: after reading this fic, Akisnow made an _awesome_ AMV about Neji and Sakura. It seems I can't post the link here, so I'll put it in my profile. Or you can check it out on YT. Also, thanks to KunoichiruleALL for bringing Akisnow into the NejiSaku fold ;) (/AN)

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"I see," Hiashi said, folding his arms across his chest.

Neji waited for his uncle to say more, but the man just stared thoughtfully at the remnants of dinner strewn on the low table. He shot glances at his two cousins, who had vastly different reactions. Both pairs of silver eyes were wide with surprise, but Hinata looked confused and slightly upset while Hanabi's face shone with a mixture of awe and excitement.

Neji flicked his eyes back to his uncle as the older man looked up from the table. "I approve," Hiashi said gruffly.

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Neji had saved telling Tenten for last. Well, almost last. Part of him knew that she would see through his explanations and excuses, which were largely valid but still not entirely truthful. He had finally caught up with her in the shopping district, and as expected, his teammate stared at him with slightly narrowed brown eyes. Neji forced himself to endure her scrutiny with false nonchalance.

"I will miss being a part of this team," Neji said honestly, hoping to distract her with sincerity.

Tenten's expression softened, but then she grew suspicious. "Is this because of the other day? The scene in the street?"

"That had nothing to do with my decision," Neji said firmly but a bit too quickly.

Tenten merely tilted her head and glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. "Alright, it bothered me," Neji conceded. "But it only reinforced a decision I had already made. You know I have been toying with this idea for some time."

Tenten nodded and looked sad. "Have you told her yet?" she asked.

Neji shook his head and said in an even voice. "No, she has been busy."

Tenten gave him a knowing look before she sighed and stepped forward to hug her old teammate. "Neji, take care of yourself out there."

Neji patted her on the back. "You too, Tenten. I'm sorry to leave you with those two," he apologized.

She giggled and pulled away. "I bet Lee will work even harder now that you're getting so far ahead of us."

Unfortunately, Tenten was right in that Lee nearly burst into flame when Neji had told him the news. On the spot, Lee had declared that he would train twice as many hours a week as he did now, even if that meant giving up sleep.

Neji opened his mouth to apologize again, but she cut him off. "We always knew you would be one of the greatest ninja in this village. We're proud to have had you as a teammate."

Neji felt a lump of unexpected emotion rise into his throat. He didn't deserve such teammates after how he had treated them as children.

"Come out and train with us when you can," Tenten said with a pat on the shoulder as she passed him and continued on her way.

Neji bowed his head slightly. "Thank you," he replied quietly to the spot where she had been standing. "Thank you."

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Sakura was surprised and pleased that Kakashi had already made plans to search for Uchiha Itachi. She supposed she took it for granted that her sensei really was one of the top Jounin in the village.

After the meeting in the Hokage's office, Kakashi had given them all one hour to prepare for the mission while he briefed Yamato and Sai. Sakura hurried back to her house so she could change and grab a traveling cloak. Uchiha Itachi was the key to finding Sasuke, and this time they wouldn't get caught off guard like in Grass Country.

She changed clothes in a flurry of fabric and zippers and double checked her medical bag and her kunai holster. As she grabbed her cloak from the closet, the thought crossed her mind that she should let Neji know that she would be away on another mission.

Cursing, she tried to figure out how she could get a message to him without being late to meet her team. Finally, she decided that she would have to forego sending a message. Such is the life of a ninja. He would find out from Hinata, in any case.

Flinging open the front door, she was surprised to see an unfamiliar figure standing on her doorstep. Her hand had dropped to her holster before recognition hit her like a brick.

"Neji, what…? When…?" she stammered as she tried to grasp the situation. She was shocked to see him dressed like that, and her mouth had gone very dry all of a sudden.

He smiled at her, but Sakura noticed it didn't reach his eyes. "Do you have another mission?" he asked, eyeing her field equipment and her cloak.

"What? Oh, yes," Sakura said, dragging her eyes from his clothes back to his face. "The Hokage is still looking for Akatsuki, so we're going to capture Uchiha Itachi."

If she hadn't been looking directly at him, she might have missed the brief flicker of concern that narrowed his eyes. "And he will be the bait for Uchiha Sasuke?" Neji asked.

Sakura nodded and waited for the outburst. If Neji had been angry about her team being sent to meet Orochimaru's spy, he should be furious that they were now attempting to capture a member of Akatsuki. Uchiha Itachi, no less, who is probably still traveling with the missing-nin from Kiri.

Instead, Neji just nodded. "Well I wish you luck," he said, and Sakura finally realized how strange he was acting. He still stood stiffly at the top of the stairs leading down to the street. Was he angry? Had he seen…?

"What about you?" she blurted. "When did you decide…" Her mind was whirling with so many different trains of thought that she couldn't finish a sentence. Why hadn't he told her he was going to accept the offer? They had spent hours discussing the topic when the Hokage had first approached him just after he had been promoted to Jounin.

"I decided a couple weeks ago," Neji lied. He had only made up his mind a couple days ago.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Sakura demanded. "This is a big deal!"

"When did I have the chance?" Neji replied in a neutral voice.

Before she could think of a response, Neji continued, "I will be away training with a new team for some time. Hokage-sama could not tell me how long, so I wanted to speak with you before I left." Sakura felt a pang of guilt that she had planned on leaving for her own mission without any notice.

"It is not fair for me to leave you so suddenly and so indefinitely," he said in the same even tone as he turned to look down the street. "So I want you to know that you have no obligation towards me, and I have none to you. I have enjoyed our time together, really I have." His voice cracked slightly, but he didn't give her a chance to respond. "But it is time we move on. Our paths are moving in different directions, and I, of all people, do not wish to cage you and hold you back."

Sakura's stomach fell through her feet. Still, she couldn't seem to make the connection between her brain and her tongue. Neji turned back to her and finally took a step in her direction. He kissed her on the cheek, and she caught a brief whiff of white sandalwood. "Thank you for everything, Sakura," he whispered in her ear. "But it's time for you to be free."

As he stepped back, she got one last glimpse of his stoic face, so unlike what she had grown used to, before he covered it with his ANBU mask. She had only a second to notice that it was stylized like a hawk before he was gone in a puff of dust.

Sakura stood in the doorway to her house for a full minute while she digested the unexpected encounter. A year ago, she had been surprised when she left a morning lesson with the Hokage to find Neji waiting to speak with the older woman. Sakura suspected it was his official promotion to Jounin, so she had lingered in the hallway until his meeting was over.

Neji had emerged with a puzzled expression, and Sakura wondered if she had guessed wrong. She was worried that the Hokage didn't really promote him, and that she had gotten his hopes up for nothing. Neji had assured her that he was a Jounin, but Sakura knew there was more to the story.

As they walked through the streets, he filled her in on the Hokage's proposition – to begin training for ANBU. He would have his choice of joining the Torture and Interrogation Force or a squad that would specialize in assassination.

"Torture and Interrogation?" Sakura had repeated with surprise. That was a nasty job.

"Hokage-sama felt that I could be of assistance while interrogating prisoners. I would be able to recognize truth from lies and detect if they were still hiding information," Neji replied.

"Or assassination," Sakura said, half to herself.

"I can kill without leaving marks," Neji said with a small shrug.

They had talked about the possibilities well into the evening, and Neji had finally decided that he wasn't ready to leave his team yet. Sakura had been surprised to see such loyalty, and it made him all the more attractive to her.

Now, one year later, he had changed his mind without even discussing it with her. She felt stung by his inconsideration. Her mind kept flitting back to how he looked in the ANBU uniform, but she forced herself to recall his words. No obligation to him? He didn't want to cage her? She should be free? What the hell?! Did she just get dumped?!

She thought about how little she had seen of him in the past month compared to their usual routine. She hadn't noticed until now that he had stopped appearing next to her in the street during her lunch break or stopping by her house in the evening to see how her day went. Was he angry with her? So she had been busy lately, that's no reason to break up! It's not a crime to finally have a life again. He didn't have to go running away to join ANBU just because she didn't pay as much attention to him.

Sakura felt despair bubbling up through her insides as memories of the past few years flashed through her mind. Neji's strong hands helping her train, Neji's scent enveloping her as he held her close while she sought solace and comfort, Neji's mouth warm and gentle against her neck. She had taken it for granted that he would always be there. Was it really her fault? Was she responsible for this? She clung to her anger and indignation to keep the tears from spilling onto her cheeks. Damnit, he should have said something!

She had felt Neji's chakra streak away even after he had disappeared, and she launched herself from her porch in that direction. She had to speak with him. It couldn't end like this.

Panting, she paused on a rooftop where she could see the main gate a little over a mile away. A fourth person had just appeared beside three cloaked figures. The newcomer threw a cloak over his black and white uniform, pulled the hood up to obscure his long, dark hair, and the group disappeared.

"No!" cried Sakura, the noise wrenching from her throat. She would never be able to find them now. They would travel in secret with only absolutely vital communication. Did he say the mission was indefinite? She wracked her brain for his exact words and didn't hear the slight figure land on the tiles behind her.

"What do you think?" a voice asked, startling Sakura out of her concentration. The pink haired girl whirled around to see Tenten standing on the crest of the roof.

"You… did you know he was going to do this? Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't _he_ tell me?!" Sakura demanded.

"He only told me yesterday, and it was none of my business to tell his news for him," Tenten replied calmly.

The sky overhead, which had been steadily darkening throughout the day, finally opened up and began raining fat drops over the village.

"What the hell is his problem?!" Sakura demanded again. If she wasn't able to talk to Neji, at least Tenten might be able to explain what the hell was going on. She felt her fingernails raking across her anger in an effort to cling to it.

Tenten looked thoughtful, as if she was choosing her words carefully. "I know I don't have to tell you this, but Neji is an extremely talented ninja, and he is perfectly suited for ANBU. This is the next logical step for him."

"I know that," Sakura said irritably. "I want to know why he didn't tell me until five minutes before he left. I want to know what he's hiding. I want to know…" She felt her chest tighten as her last bit of anger drained away, leaving her feeling more alone than she had felt since Sasuke had left. It was like the rain put out any fire that had built up in her and left her cold and wet. "I want to know why he broke up with me," she whispered as she turned back towards the gate so the other girl couldn't see her tears. She didn't bother unfolding the cloak hanging over her arm and instead let the rain soak into her clothes.

"Sakura, what is your topmost priority right now?" Tenten asked as she sat down on the top of the slanted roof, ignoring the rain.

Sakura was caught off guard. "What kind of question is that?" she asked back, buying time.

"I'm serious, and there's no point lying to me. I'm just trying to help. So what is the most important thing in your life right now?" the older girl repeated.

Sakura felt a blush creep into her cheeks, and she was glad her back was already turned. "Neji," she whispered into the rain. Neji, who had left her without even a backward glance. She bit her lip to keep a whimper from escaping.

"Really?" Tenten pressed, ignoring Sakura's shaking shoulders. "When you came back from Suna, what was your first priority?"

Sakura remembered her argument with Neji right before she had left for Grass Country. At that time, all she was concerned about was meeting Sasori's contact and finding out more about Orochimaru. And consequently, finding out about Sasuke.

Tenten must have sensed Sakura's understanding because she pressed on, "When you returned from that mission, what was next on your agenda?"

Even though she had felt angry and betrayed by their meeting with Sasuke, he had nonetheless consumed her thoughts. Then, there was Naruto's training, the Akatsuski hunt, and Naruto in the hospital. They had promised that they would bring Sasuke back together. After seeing how strong Sasuke had become, she had been dismayed by her own relative weakness. All her spare time had been spent studying in the library or working with the Hokage. She could not compete at the physical level, so she decided to play to her strengths.

"So I was spending a lot of time with my team," Sakura said defensively. "How is that a crime? It's nice not being a fifth wheel anymore."

"There's nothing wrong with spending time with your team, but try to think of how this all felt for Neji," Tenten said in the same irritatingly rational voice. "How do you think he viewed all this?"

"With jealousy, apparently," Sakura said bitterly, staring at the empty ground in front of the gate.

"Is that really what you think?" Tenten asked, and Sakura could hear the raised-eyebrows in her voice.

"What's with all these questions, anyway?" Sakura demanded angrily as she rounded on the seated figure behind her. The rain covered any tear streaks on her face, and her puffy eyes could be allergies or a sinus infection.

"I'm trying to help you to see the whole picture, Sakura," Tenten said, holding her hands up defensively. "You've been completely immersed in your teammates lately, and it's time you see what else has been going on."

"Let's see, the whole picture is that I finally have something else in my life besides tagging along with you guys, and Neji gets sulky, dumps me, and runs off to join ANBU," Sakura said sarcastically.

To Sakura's growing annoyance, Tenten actually giggled. "Well, he has been a bit sulky, I'll give you that. But don't you see that Neji's actions aren't selfish? He thinks he's doing what's best for _you_."

"Best for me?" Sakura asked incredulously. "By breaking up with me? What the hell kind of logic is that?"

"I'm not saying I agree," Tenten said, assuming a defensive posture again. "But it's how he thinks. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that right now, you're mildly obsessed with the idea of retrieving Sasuke and making your team whole again."

Sakura blushed to hear it put like that. She opened her mouth to reply, but Tenten cut her off. "What do you think is going to happen if you actually achieve your goal? What will you do with Sasuke back in your life?"

Sakura found it strange that she had fantasized about convincing Sasuke to return to Konoha but never seriously thought about how it would affect her daily life. Would she eat lunch with him and Naruto? And Sai? Would they go back to doing missions together? How would he treat her now? She had somehow always just colored this future pink and left it at that.

"And how does Neji fit into all this?" Tenten finished quietly. The sound of rain pounding on the roof tiles seemed to drown out everything else.

Sakura trudged up the slippery slope and sat down beside the other girl. "So that's what he meant when he said that our paths were diverging?"

"If you ask me, he's taking himself out of the equation so that you won't have to choose between him or your team. Imagine walking down the street with him and passing Naruto and Sasuke going the other way. Will you turn around and go with them? What if Sasuke asks you to help him train and you already have plans with Neji? Will you break those plans?"

"I'm not going to ditch everything just for Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said indignantly.

"I don't think Neji was entirely convinced of that," Tenten said with an apologetic tone. "But I do think that Neji wanted to give you that option if you wanted it."

"The option of ditching everything for Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked.

"Also consider this," Tenten said, ignoring her question. "Neji is too proud to share you. He is the type to let go and turn away rather than endure some stupid love triangle. By joining ANBU, he has left you free to chase after Sasuke."

Sakura hated the way Tenten kept making her promise with Naruto sound like a child's game. Like they were playing hide and seek or tag.

"The irony is that before he met you, Sakura, Neji was selfish and self-pitying. You helped him to change into the type of person who would sacrifice his feelings so that the one he loved could be happy," Tenten said with a wry smile. "I guess if anyone has the right to push him back into his corner, it's you."

"If he loved me and wanted me to be happy, he wouldn't have left me," Sakura said bitterly.

Tenten sighed, "If you don't see it yet, there's not much more I can say." She stood up and pushed her dripping bangs from her eyes. "But he didn't leave you. You were already flapping your wings and flying away. He just cut the tethers."

With that, Tenten jumped down to the street below and began walking away. A sudden thought flashed through Sakura's mind. "Hey, what were you doing out here, anyway?" she called down to the soaking wet brunette.

Tenten turned around with a mischievous smile. "When I was little, I used to daydream about Neji in an ANBU uniform. I've waited five years for this!"

Sakura's jaw dropped as Tenten winked at her and turned a corner out of sight. Surely Tenten didn't suggest… And Tenten had no right oogling Neji!

So. Neji had left because he thought he would be a burden. He wanted to end things in a dignified manner so that she could go _chase after_ Sasuke. She found herself pacing along the crest of the roof as she began fueling her anger once again. It was exhausting to keep fluctuating through every emotion known to man, but she would persevere!

She noticed more motion near the main gate and saw a handful of people arrive at the meeting spot. Pushing hard off the roof, she began leaping towards her old and new teammates. 'Focus on this mission,' she coached herself. 'We will capture Uchiha Itachi, and Sasuke-kun will come for him. And then I will show Neji that there is room in my heart for everyone.'

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(AN) A few people commented on how Sakura probably wouldn't be as dense as I've made her out to be. My (hopefully adequate) explanation is that she simply got carried away in the thrill of having her team semi-reunited after 2.5 years. After all, that has been her primary goal all along. Neji was just a bonus.

Also, don't worry that Neji will be gone on his mission for too long. I just had to indulge my desire to put him in an ANBU uniform XD. Also, it gives me some wiggle room for the upcoming excitement (who knows what Sakura will say when she meets Sasuke-loving-Karin).

AverageGal: I'm glad you're enjoying this fic! I don't think I'll ever write in a NejiTen chapter, but going by what Kishimoto writes, Tenten definitely appears to be the closest char to Neji.

KunoichiruleALL: Thanks for bearing with me as we wait for the manga to keep moving forward. I'm worried that there won't be any Neji for a long while, so I might start taking more liberties with my story. Thanks for telling your friend about my story! That's probably one of the best rewards an author can ask for!

reikari: Since this fic is following the storyline of the manga, it'll continue as long as Kishimoto keeps writing new material. I know how frustrating unfinished fanfics can be, so thanks for bearing with me.

mibiscotti: I'm sorry these latest chaps are so depressing! But I also felt they were more realistic. Most of my timeskip chaps are pretty shiny and happy, and real relationships are never that smooth. Like I said above, since Neji won't be appearing much anymore ::pout:: I'll probably take more liberties in the future.

chaosdragon82: Wow! What an awesome review! I have been trying to draw from my own experiences and those of my friends while writing this fic, so it's extremely rewarding to know that others find it realistic, too. Also, you guessed absolutely correct about Tenten having a chat with Sakura . And you will probably get your wish about Hinata soon, since she just showed back up in the manga. We have yet to see her do anything, though…

BelleDayNight: Thanks so much for reading through my fic. Even though he only has a small role in this story, Kakashi is one of my favorite characters to write about. The kunai he gives Sakura after her Chuunin Exam is the one the Yondaime gave Kakashi in the Gaiden Arc.

AngelWing1138: I'm glad you found my fic and enjoyed it! Also, I'm glad Team Kakashi is back in the manga picture (the Team Hebi part was starting to draaaaag), but I'm bummed we won't see Team Gai for a bit. Hopefully we'll at least get some good scenes of Hinata in action.

Da Cute Snowbunny, Gblossom21, Disella, Hao'sAnjul, Loversflame, mrs.cake, Coeur Casse, Teas Of Hell 1428: Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback for me! I'm sorry updates take so long, but that meeting in the Hokage's office took waaaaay too many chapters. It was worth waiting for, though, since now I know what the Uchiha-Hunt team looks like.

Thanks to sniper1250, Mistress DragonFlame, ForeheadKAT, sequha, TheFoxGirlKitsune, SweetAssassin, animevivverz, harunosakua, animemistress419, jemiul for sticking with me as the story continues. You guys rock! (/AN)


	25. 21: Nowhere Fast

Chapter 21: Nowhere Fast

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(AN) Thank you everyone for being patient! I had been holding off and waiting and hoping for some information about Sakura and Hinata in the manga, but it looks like we'll have a couple more months of the Jiraiya arc before we get back to the Konoha team.

This chapter isn't fluffy at all, but it's advancing the story and sets the stage for my next chapter, which won't take nearly as long to release as this one did. So please bear with the lack of bunnies and teddy bears.

Thanks again for reading, and especially for leaving reviews! It really means a lot to me, and I tried to respond to everyone who reviewed the last chapter (keep reading at the end). I think it might be longer than the actual chapter XD

This chapter occurs right after Chapter 20: Flying the Coop.

**XXX Spoilers through Chapter 364!!! XXX **(/AN)

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Neji was happy to settle into the smooth rhythm of travel and attempted to focus his thoughts away from the conversation he had just had. Despite maintaining a cool demeanor, he was still thankful for the mask separating his false exterior from his teammates. They were seasoned ANBU veterans, and he was sure they would see his emotions as clear as day.

Their mission was simple but unpredictable. They had a list of other ANBU members currently working undercover in a variety of locations. His team's goal was to meet up with these people, collect information, and issue new orders from the Hokage.

The informants were located in every major country and several smaller ones, and making contact could take days or months depending on the situation. Nothing about this mission was particularly dangerous, but it still required extreme skill. Normally, several teams would be sent out simultaneous to complete the job faster, but currently, only these three could be spared. The Hokage had been happy to fill one of the team positions with a Jounin trainee instead of a valuable ANBU member.

And it was perfectly suited for his situation – he would learn the basics of how ANBU worked while also providing crucial scouting and surveillance for the team.

Their first destination was in Lightning Country, which would take at least 4 or 5 days of straight traveling, so he was surprised when the group suddenly stopped only half an hour from Konoha.

"This is one of the five ANBU outposts surrounding Konoha," Uzuki said from behind her mask. Her long dark hair fluttered around the cowl of her cloak.

Neji activated his bloodline and looked in the direction she pointed at. Sure enough, there was an extremely well-camouflaged hut with what looked like electronic devices inside.

"Keeping carrier birds out here would be too obvious," Uzuki continued, "So we have transmitters that are connected to other ANBU stations within the village via a secure line. That way, we don't have to enter the village in order to make contact."

Neji nodded and made a mental note of the hut's location. Not having to go back into the village would be a nice bonus.

Shiragawa, the team's captain, pulled a map out of one of his pouches. "This is where we are," he said gruffly, stabbing at the paper, "And this is where the other four huts are located." Each point got its own thick-fingered jab. The man was well into his 40s and had a receding hairline and a thick barrel chest. Despite his height and bulk, Neji suspected the captain more than matched himself for speed.

"Normally we would escort a trainee to every site, since they can be difficult to find if you don't know where to look. However you shouldn't have any trouble once you get close enough, right?" The older man glanced at the eyes of Neji's mask.

"There shouldn't be any problems now that I know what to look for," Neji replied.

"But you still have to be within 100 meters or so, right?" Uzuki asked.

"Within 1000 meters will be good enough," Neji said evenly. He knew it was a boast, even if it was the truth.

"No way," Koyama snorted. The third ANBU member was shorter than Neji with bright orange hair barely visible under his hood. "I've heard that you're good, but I've never heard of a Hyuuga _that_ good. Look, kid, there's no need to brag to us. If the Hokage gave you the thumbs up, that's good enough for me."

Neji just shrugged. He wasn't about to get in a pissing contest with his newest teammate, and he really wasn't in the mood for arguing.

"Well, I'll need to know your exact capabilities anyway," Shiragawa said, interrupting Koyama's tirade. "Koyama, head north for 1500 meters and make a random hand seal every 100 meters. Remember your order."

"Right!" he answered, and Neji could almost see the smirk on his monkey mask.

As the shorter man disappeared into the distance, the team captain turned to Neji. "Call them as you see them," he said.

"Understood," Neji replied. "Horse," he said as Koyama stopped and flashed a hand seal.

"Tiger."

"Dragon."

"Dog. Snake. Tiger. Rat. Sheep. Dragon. Rabbit."

Neji hesitated when Koyama made his tenth seal. "An unknown seal involving the middle finger."

Uzuki laughed. "Now I'm convinced he can see that far," she chuckled.

"That's as much as I can see," Neji told them, and Shiragawa just nodded.

The three waited silently while Koyama continued on to 1500 meters before doubling back. Before he had reached the 400 mark, however, Neji sensed something on the very edges of his perception. He closed his eyes in concentration and barely noticed his skeptical teammate's return.

When he finally glanced around, he saw that Uzuki was staring into the thick foliage in the same direction. "I sense something… strange," she said haltingly.

"Me too. It's pretty far off, but it must be immense to be detectable," Neji said.

"But I thought we just demonstrated that your range is 1000 meters," Shiragawa said, looking up from where he was confirming the middle finger seal with Koyama.

"That's my limit on seeing anything in detail. Further than that is like looking at a mountain from a distance. You see shapes and colors, but no trees," Neji explained. "This just now, it lit up the horizon like heat lightning. It was five, maybe ten miles due west."

Uzuki was already striding into the hut. "Shiragawa-san, I just want to check back with headquarters about this. It will only take a moment," she called.

After a couple minutes of discussion, she reemerged. "They'd like us to check it out since we're the closest ANBU team. Our orders were to observe, but not take any action unless forced, and as always, avoid being seen."

Shiragawa nodded. "Good thing we weren't doing anything important," he said dryly. "Alright, Hyuuga, lead the way."

Once again, the team headed back to the tree tops.

After three quiet miles Neji saw the first flicker of unusual movement. He signaled for the team to halt.

"I just saw several of what looked like Aburame's kikaichu," Neji told them.

"Aburame Shibi?" Shiragawa asked.

Neji shook his head. "I can't tell. But if it's his son, Shino, we need to be more careful. His teammates are Inuzuka Kiba and Hyuuga Hinata."

"Is this Hyuuga able to see as far as you?" Koyama asked.

"No, I will see her before she sees me. The one to be most wary of is the Inuzuka. He will have his dog Akamaru with him, but I wouldn't be surprised if Kiba has a better sense of smell by now," Neji told them.

"Got it," Shiragawa said. "It'll take more time, but let's circle south and approach from down wind."

As the group approached the area where Neji and Uzuki had seen the flash, they slowed their progress and grew cautious. Several other ninja were approaching the same site – most likely to investigate. If other ANBU groups had been deployed as well, they were staying well hidden.

Neji had been right about the old Team 8 being in the area. He hoped that being a kilometer downwind would be enough to avoid Kiba's senses. Shiragawa decided that the best option would be to remain hidden in one location to prevent spreading their scent. If anyone approached their site, they would retreat the way they came to avoid confrontation. For now, Neji reported what he saw near the blast site.

The forest had been completely decimated for a 500 meter radius. A large crater marked the center of the explosion. Kiba and Shino stood in the center of the crater examining the bare ground, and Neji wondered where Hinata could be. Were these two out on their own, or did they have a team leader? And why were there two other dogs sniffing around beside Akamaru?

Suddenly he tensed. "Hatake Kakashi just arrived," he told his teammates. "He came from the west." The ANBU team was situated a few hundred meters from the edge of the clearing, so Neji could only see a little past the blast center.

Shiragawa, however, relaxed and let out a low sigh. "Well Kakashi will see us or he won't. There's not much we can do about that right now, but we can trust him to be discreet either way."

"What do you think caused this explosion?" Uzuki asked.

"That's a helluva lot of firepower to waste out here in the middle of nowhere," Koyama commented.

"I know this chakra," Neji told them. "I was on a mission to Suna, and we encountered two members of Akatsuki. One of them used explosive clay, but we thought he had blown himself up. He must have escaped while using the explosion as a decoy." Irritation pulsed through Neji when he realized Deidara had fooled him. He, of all people, should have noticed the escape.

"So why would Akatsuki cause an explosion in the middle of the forest? What is there to gain out here?" Uzuki mused.

Neji opened his mouth to reply when another familiar chakra flickered on the edges of his vision. "Here comes another," he whispered.

After seeing Kakashi appear, Neji had a sinking feeling that the Jounin's team would be in the area as well. Sure enough, Sakura was approaching from the southwest accompanied by two more nin-dogs. His chest constricted painfully at the sight. He had hoped for a clean break between them followed by a several-month recovery period. Fast like a bandage and time to heal. But this was too soon… He had planned on being miles from Konoha by now.

The team remained motionless while the pink-haired kunoichi passed into the clearing west of them and hurried to speak with the others gathered in the center.

"Koyama, I want to know what they're saying," Shiragawa said softly.

"Right, right," Koyama replied. He made a couple quick seals before leaning down to put his ear to the ground.

Neji watched as thin threads of chakra extended from the orange-haired man and into the ground. The threads continued to split apart into a fine mesh as they wove their way towards the clearing. They quickly grew so fine that they were invisible.

"The strands of chakra transmit vibrations and sounds. It's virtually undetectable eavesdropping," Uzuki said, answering Neji's unspoken question. "That's why he was paired with you. Together, you make the perfect surveillance team."

"Shhh!" Koyama whispered irritably.

"Three more from the south west," Neji whispered after a couple minutes of silence. "Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Hinata, and the guy calling himself Yamato."

Koyama snickered from where he lay on the ground.

"Will Hyuuga Hinata be able to see Koyama's chakra threads?" Shiragawa asked.

"Once she is within 50 meters depending on how fine they are," Neji replied. Probably less since his cousin was no doubt fixated on Naruto at the moment, but he didn't think it was appropriate to tell his new teammates such information.

"Alright, Koyama, let it go," Shiragawa said.

"There's one shinobi from Kakashi's team who still hasn't arrived," Neji said as Koyama pulled himself off the ground and dusted leaves from his cloak. The chakra threads shimmered slightly and faded away.

"Well?" Uzuki prompted.

"Those nin-dogs have been sniffing around," Koyama began. "There were two Akatsuki members here, Uchiha Sasuke, and a few unknown people."

Neji felt his stomach sink even further, which served as confirmation that getting out of Konoha was a good decision. Him hanging around while Sakura continued her obsessive search wouldn't help anyone.

"Uchiha Sasuke?" Uzuki echoed. "I wonder what he has to do with Akatsuki. Maybe he joined his brother?"

"They're leaving," Neji broke in. "Heading north quickly."

"Good, that will keep us downwind," Shiragawa said.

"We following?" Koyama asked.

"No, let's go examine the area ourselves. Neji, keep an eye out for anyone else who might come investigate," Shiragawa said. "Then we'll head to the closest outpost and report back to the village."

"Understood," the three ANBU replied in unison.

As he followed his teammates, Neji silently thanked the captain for not following the other shinobi. After they sent in their report, they would finally be on their way to Lightning Country. Like with his Byakugan, he closed his eyelids but still could see her smile.

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(AN) Usually, I don't like when writers create their own characters because they never quite seem to fit into the whole story. For example, all the filler episodes Since there hasn't been much mention of Neji or Sakura in the manga lately, I broke my own rule and wrote in some other characters. Only Uzuki actually exists. Please let me know if it worked or not (and be honest!). (/AN)

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Jemiul: Thanks for always reviewing! It means a lot to have readers keep coming back!

A Cynical Person: Aw, don't be too hard on Sakura! She simply made a mistake and became too absorbed in one thing to notice the rest of the world around her. I promise I will help her make things right again ;)

Mistress DragonFlame: I agree with you about the upcoming (and foreshadowed) meeting between Sakura and Karin, which could blow my story to bits. I'll be sooo bummed if she reverts back to her 'I love Sasuke-kun' phase, but so far I've been pleased that Kishimoto has made her more mature.

Icecream Skittles Addict: Sakura vs. Itachi… It's tempting. Lately I've been becoming an Itachi fan. I'm not sure why since he's psycho maniac… What does that say about me?!!

reikari: I'm sincerely flattered! Thank you for the review! As for how many chaps this will be, let me say that I find unfinished fanfics frustrating. Now let me be a hypocrite and say that I have no idea how many chapters this fic will have. Since my story intertwines with the manga, the real question is 'how many chapters will the manga have' to which I have no answer. I hope this doesn't discourage you from continuing to read this story!

BelleDayNight: I'm glad you like the way I portray Neji! One of the reasons I started writing my own fanfic is that it was difficult to find other fics that characterized Neji the way I saw him in my head. After the first Chuunin Exam, he began to change, and after the timeskip, he shows none of his original arrogance and bitterness. There are a few frames in the manga during the Suna arc where he looks downright cute!

AngelWing1138: Don't worry, when it's all said and done, this is a NejiSaku fic

XxGreenxNailxX: It's a deal!

KunoichiruleALL: Thanks again for helping to spread the NejiSaku love :3

Coeur Casse: ME TOO! Unfortunately, I think we're going to have to wait for the Jiraiya/Pein part to finish. Let's hope Team Kakashi can catch up!

mibiscotti: I'm glad you like Tenten playing the part of counselor and sage. I was worried she would seem unnaturally mature and understanding, but you're right in that she is involved but removed and in a good position to be objective. Good luck in the office ;)

Kunoichi Petals: Thanks for leaving a review! I'm updating slowly because there hasn't been much material in the manga to work with.

Mercyonthesoul: Thanks for reading the fic all the way through. It's a lot bigger than I ever intended in the beginning.

chibza: Sorry for the slow update. The next one shouldn't take so long because it will be about Neji again and thus won't rely on manga plot.

Hao'sAnjul: Fear not! Hindsight is always 20/20. (That sounds like a fortune cookie…)

harunosakua: Thanks for waiting for this update! Sorry it took so long!

Rhonda21: What's a fic without a little angst, right:P

chaoesdragon82: HUGS for your review. It is SO exciting to see other people really enjoying something you've created. And I'm glad that people can relate to these characters. On another note, I was worried that shoving Neji into an ANBU uniform could come back to bite me later, but I was getting impatient. Like you said, Kakashi and Itachi were promoted ridiculously early, and Neji definitely ranks up there with them for natural talent. And you brought up a good question – how far would Sakura go if Neji decided to leave Konoha…. Maybe I will address that someday…

littleredcoat: Thanks for reading all the way through! I know it's getting pretty long by now. As for a weakness for Neji, you and me both!

FanFicHolic: I tried to wean Neji off of the fate obsession, but I figured I'd keep the bird-fixation :P

blackrose113: Yeah, she was pretty dense, but I chalked it up to a defense mechanism with a touch of denial. Once things cool down, she's be able to see things more clearly.

Mayumi Crescent Moon: LOL …gay snake man… LOL

Chire: I hope you were being fictitious since it took me so bloody long to update… Gomen!

dragonlilly396: The next update will be much faster than this one. I promise!

Southern Rose: Thank you! I'll continue to follow the story line as long as I have good material to work with.

tangozgirlscout: Welcome to the NejiSaku world! It's a great place to be

animemistress419: I'm glad to see you're still following this fic! Thanks much!

X-Tears-Of-Revenge-X: Sorry it gets confusing at times. I think it's the result of writing this over the span of months. My flow of events and thoughts don't mesh as well as the earlier chapters when I wrote them all back to back.

Leana Mee: Sorry it's so long! I got carried away XD

Starlight – Wild Koneko: Kampai for NejiSaku! And don't worry, I'll potentially spoil the ending and say that neither character will die in my fic! I would just end up depressing myself 

Wingless Arrow: Thanks for the review! I'm glad new readers are still finding this fic, and it's not buried deep in ffnet obscurity!

Akkiraki Chikuro: I'm sorry this has gotten so confusing. You're right, some chapters skip a lot of time while others happen back to back. I think I'll go through sometime and add notes to the beginning of each chap so they're easier to follow. For the most part, I put a spoiler for the manga chapters on each update, and that will give you a good idea of when it's taking place. No, they haven't slept together, and yes, I'm purposely avoiding an outright lemon. There're enough bad lemons out there without me contributing more :P

Nemi-the-fallen-angel: Don't cry! I'll try to put more humor into the next few chapters (I feel like I'm missing my sense of humor… what do you guys think?)

erin53: I'm glad you like the way the characters are portrayed. I've read too many fics where the chars are perfect and then in my eyes, unreal.

Roses of Sharon: Thank you for the review! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

thenewmatercreater: Well, the one thing I will promise is that this is a NejiSaku til the end! What happens in the middle, though… ;)


	26. Reading Ahead of the Lines

Well, Gentle Reader, I've finally gotten tired of waiting for the manga to deliver enough information to write a new chapter for Reading Beneath the Lines.

As a result, I just posted a new story called Reading Ahead of the Lines. You can find it in my profile.

**This new story will pick up after Chapter 21: Nowhere Fast** of Reading Beneath the Lines, and it will finish the story in a manner unrelated to the manga. So for all you people who hate unfinished fics (myself included), I hope this will give you a bit of satisfying closure.

But for those who enjoyed Reading Beneath the Lines because it believably intertwined with the actual story (myself included again), fear not. **I will continue to update Reading Beneath the Lines as I get material for it.** Unfortunately, this may continue at a slow pace indefinitely (but I would love to be proven wrong).

I hope this doesn't create too much confusion, so please PM me if you have any questions. Or if you want to leave your opinion in a review, please leave it for Reading Ahead of the Lines, since I will delete this chapter note in a few days.


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